Chasing perfection

BRANDON ‘BABY RAIN’ OOI, 20, CANOEING

SINGAPORE — There is no question Brandon Ooi is one of the best kayakers Singapore has produced. But just how far he can go is a question that remains unanswered. We will know more after the Asian Games.

Since coming to prominence in 2010 as the Republic’s lone male kayaker in the inaugural Youth Olympic Games, the 20-year-old National Serviceman has had one focus: To be a world-class paddler.

Ooi told TODAY that he continues to believe the dream is alive and that he is taking steps, if not strides, towards his goal, albeit with a little more maturity then when he was a mass of raw talent four years ago.

“It’s natural for me to race and try to win,” said Ooi, who gets time off from National Service to train and compete. “I know I’m not the best now but the way I am progressing, I know I can get there. I just need to put in the work.

“Previously, I thought everything was possible and that I could win everything. But now I am more mature and know my capabilities better. And I know how to race a race.”

That knowledge has been earnt with hard knocks along the way. Eyeing a gold medal in his pet event — the K1 500m — at the South-East Asian Games last December, Ooi saw the quest derailed by a poor start caused by choppy conditions at the Ngalike Dam in Naypyidaw.

“That was a disappointment,” he said. “I was too eager and left myself with too much to do after losing my balance at the start. But my day will come.”

Since then, Ooi has also had to switch his focus from racing in the single-seater kayak to working with partners in K2 and K4 combinations. Also, with the 500m distance no longer an Olympic medal distance, he has had to rewire his thinking instead to 200m and 1,000m races instead, with each needing different skill sets.

“500m is a perfect distance for me, and every time I race it I improve. And it remains my best chance to get to an ‘A’ final in international competitions,” said Ooi, who achieved a personal best of 1min 43 sec at the World Championships this year, and can still compete in this distance at the world meet.

“But for major Games, I have to keep working at the other distances, and for now it seems the 1,000m is too long for me, while the 200m is too short. I still want to go to the Olympics, and the K2 looks the likely route for my partner Bill (Lee) and me. The 1,000m could be the event, and something tells me we can hit faster times as a partnership.”

Guided by two-time K2 200m world champion paddler Balazs Babella, the kayakers are being tipped to produce medals when the SEA Games come to Singapore next June.

For Incheon, though, Ooi says a top-six finish would be commendable, with Iran, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and China expected to fill the top four positions.

“Of course we want to try for a medal but a top six, I believe, is well within our ability,” said Ooi.

“I’m excited to go to the Asian Games; it is a great opportunity for us to showcase our ability.”

Box:

BRANDON “BABY RAIN” OOI, 20, CANOEING

Q: How many members are there in Super Junior?

Brandon: Four. (Not even close. 12 is the answer.)

Q: Know any K-Pop bands or songs?

Brandon: Girls Generation and their hit Gee? (That’s a start.

Q: How about ordering food in Korean?

Brandon: The only food I know is kimchi.

Q: Bibimbap, chicken ginseng soup or bulgogi - which would you pick?

Brandon: Bulgogi, sounds like something I would eat.

Q: Are you a Korean drama fan? What was the last one you watched?

Brandon: Not a fan, too soppy for me but I know lots of people like it.

Q: What are you looking forward to in Korea?

Brandon: Racing.

Q: You’re at a karaoke joint. K-pop, oldies or romantic ballads?

Brandon: Romantic ballads.

Q: If you were a K-pop idol for a day - what would you do?

Brandon: I don’t know what they do, maybe learn how to dance.

For pgcanoe0917

[credits]

Photography: Jason Ho

Styling: chin & Grace Lua (stylist assistant), ARM Collective

Hair and makeup: Zennie Casann & Cale Chew, using TIGI Bedhead & MAKEUP FOREVER