Still getting up to speed

SINGAPORE — Dinah Chan’s unexpected victory at the 2013 SEA Games in Myanmar — which ended Singapore’s 16-year wait for a cycling gold medal at the Games — was one of the most inspirational comeback stories of the year within the local sporting fraternity.

Despite getting a mild concussion and fractured teeth following a road accident only three months before the biennial event, Chan overcame the odds and surpassed all expectations as she clinched the top prize in the women’s 30km time trial in Naypyidaw.

For this year’s Games, the Singapore Cycling Federation’s (SCF) is fielding an eight-member peloton, and the team has been given a modest target of winning one gold medal.

The burden of achieving that target falls largely on Chan’s shoulders and she admits that the pressure of being defending champion, combined with her rigorous training regime, has taken a toll on her.

“At this point, I’m both physically and mentally tired, but I’m just holding up for the next few weeks till the SEA Games,” she said. “It’s much more stressful this time around because I’m the reigning gold medallist and the Games is held in Singapore, so the pressure does get to me a little.”

The former Broadrick Secondary School teacher also added that she barely had time to take a break following the Asian Games in Incheon last year, when she finished a creditable fourth in the individual time trial (ITT). The lack of a proper recovery period culminated in a “breakdown” at the Asian Cycling Championships three months ago, when Chan finished 15th in the Road Race. She later had to pull out of the ITT and that convinced her to take a short break before continuing her preparations for the SEA Games.

Things have picked up for Chan since. The devout Christian credits the strong support from her family, friends and the SCF as motivational factors.

“I see how much effort everyone has put into this Games and it’s very encouraging. Sometimes you don’t feel the greatest during training, but I’m keeping the faith that whatever preparations I’ve done will be fruitful and, with the right amount of tapering and rest, I will fly during the SEA Games,” said Chan, who will be taking part in three events — the women’s ITT, road race and criterium (60 minutes).

One of the biggest obstacles to her gold medal charge comes in the form of Thailand’s Asian Games bronze medallist Chanpeng Nontasin. The 30-year-old finished second in Myanmar and has secured podium finishes at the Games since 2005.

“It’s between me and her (Nontasin) for gold and silver for the ITT,” Dinah said. “She’s proven to be very consistent and she’s training really hard now. For the road race and the criterium, my biggest rivals would probably the Vietnamese and the Thais.”

Chan’s team-mate Darren Low, who won silver for the ITT during the 2011 Games, also suffered a setback in his preparations for the Games. The Shimano Racing Team cyclist crashed while racing in the Tour of Thailand last month and was only recently given the all-clear to resume training again.

This has forced the 26-year-old — who will be competing in the ITT, road race and criterium — to re-evaluate his expectations for the Games and he is now focusing on getting a podium finish in the road race, instead of the ITT.

“With this injury, it’s quite hard for me to do the ITT properly as how well one performs in this event has a lot to do with the physical condition of the cyclist. Now I’m just banking on medalling for the road race because this is where tactics and teamwork come into play and I can play a supporting role in the team.”

But Low is still optimistic that he will be able to pull off a good performance, citing Chan’s triumphant comeback from injury in Myanmar as proof that anything can happen on race day.

“Dinah’s recovery at the previous SEA Games shows me that it can be done. So maybe right now on paper I might not be in contention (for a medal), but who knows, I might somehow find that extra zip in my legs on race day and surprise people.”

SEA Games cycling competition

When: June 11 to 14

Where: Marina Bay South

How many medals: Six (men’s and women’s individual time trial, men’s and women’s criterium, men’s and women’s road race)

How much to watch: Admission is free