‘Chase your dream’: 62-year-old Mr World Singapore finalist is a healthy living advocate for people his age

• Mr Li is the oldest contestant of the Mr World Singapore pageant
• He will compete against 23 other finalists chosen from over 200 applicants for the crown
• He wants to inspire people his age to lead a healthy lifestyle
• He does this by sharing his diet and workout routine on social media

SINGAPORE — When the age of a finalist from the Mr World Singapore pageant was first reported in a recent TODAY article, many thought it was a mistake.

But it was not, because Mr Linus Li — who is the oldest contestant of the pageant ever — is indeed 62 years old.

“I saw that some readers thought my age should be 26 and not 62. I guess they were expecting me to be of the same age range as my fellow contestants,” the senior sales executive at an airline company said.

Mr Li will go head to head against 23 other finalists chosen from more than 200 applicants for the annual pageant slated to take place in December. The contest is open to men above the age of 18.

Confident that he has a chance of winning, the soft-spoken bachelor said that this is not his first rodeo.

He was also the oldest contestant ever to join Manhunt Singapore six years ago, and has taken part in variety shows on Mediacorp’s Channel 8 such as the Golden Age Talentime — a singing competition for older participants.

He started singing at a young age and it remains his greatest joy. As a child, he would watch television in the corridor of his neighbour’s house because his family could not afford one.

“I would sit there and listen to the pop music that was being played on television at the time. Then I would draw my own album (cover). That was my dream… of becoming a singer and singing in front of a big audience,” he said.

But the goal has changed — he now wants to inspire people his age to lead a healthy lifestyle by sharing his diet and workout routine on social media.

“For many people my age, when they hit 50 or 60, they put a full stop to life. But I want to encourage them that life doesn’t stop at that age. It goes on.

“You can still chase your dream and you can still have passion,” he said.

It is this mantra that spurred him to continue exercising and eating healthily, Mr Li, said adding that it is now a luxury he can afford.

He was the third out of six siblings, who was an overweight teenager with crooked teeth and a crew cut. He said that he grew up eating fatty food because that was all his odd-job labourer father and housewife mother could afford.

“Back then, fatty meat was cheaper than lean meat and my mother was a thrifty woman,” he said.

It was not until she was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1998 and died 10 months later did he stop eating such food, because he believed that her unhealthy eating habits contributed to her illness.

He also started working out six times a week to lose the weight and started taking care of his body.

With his metabolism rate slowing with age, Mr Li said that he has cut out processed food and lowered his carbohydrate intake. He has also increased the intensity of his workout in preparation for the pageant.

His biggest fear: Wearing swimming gear.

“I think I'm not the only one who has this fear. Going on stage with a small piece of cloth covering my bottom — what happens if it drops?” he said with a chuckle.

Asked whether he thinks he can win the pageant, Mr Li said that he is optimistic, and likened himself to the tortoise in the fable of the tortoise and the hare.

“The younger contestants have better skin, less wrinkles and have more energy than me. They may charge forward much faster than I do, but I always tell myself that I should go slow and steady.

“For me, I just want people of my age group, these so-called ‘uncles’, to show that we can achieve more — we can work out, we can look good and we can be an inspiration to the young people.”