SINGAPORE — Not many shoppers at JCube this weekend will bat an eyelid at the sight of Chun Lee Kyung, Singapore’s national coach for short track speed skating, at the sidelines of the ice rink, watching her charges compete at the International Skating Union (ISU) Tri-Series South East Asia Cup.

But that would not be the case in South Korea for Chun, one of the country’s most successful and recognisable short track speed skaters, with four Olympic gold medals and nine world championship titles to her belt.

A household name in South Korea in the 1990s, Chun joined the Singapore Ice Skating Association (SISA) as its national coach last November in a major coup for a sport still in its infancy here. The 40-year-old had moved to Singapore last January to allow her two younger children to study here, and signed on for the job after she was approached by SISA.

The mother-of-three, who is committed to SISA until 2018, is relishing the challenge.

As she told TODAY: “The Korea Skating Union had (previously) asked me to be a coach with the team, but it is very stressful.

“I love teaching, and I enjoy working with children as it is very meaningful for me, so this suits me.

“I want to teach basic skills to more children — basic positioning, which is very important, because if your positioning is not good, you will be limited when you grow up. For the senior skaters, it is to teach them new skills, drills, and get them to go faster. The important thing is to build their stamina and we are doing that during off-ice training.”

Chun’s main task will be preparing the national team for next year’s SEA Games in Malaysia, where winter sports such as ice hockey and ice skating will feature for the first time in the biennial event’s history.

A private coach in Busan for eight years before quitting to focus on her family, Chun believes Singapore — particularly top skater Lucas Ng — has the talent to win medals in the region. “Yes I hope Lucas can win a gold medal (at the SEA Games), but there are also some good skaters in Malaysia and Thailand,” she said. “I think they have the potential to win medals. Short track speed skating is a very new sport in Singapore, and if they get a good result, this will also get more Singaporeans interested in the sport.”

Chun’s three-month stint has already reaped some rewards, as SISA president Sonja Chong said: “She brings to us a wealth of experience (from being a world-class athlete and a coach). We will be relying on her to plan our next steps now that ice skating is officially (included) in the SEA Games.”

While Chun is confident Singapore has what it takes to succeed in South-east Asia, competing among the best in Asia will take a lot more.

A product of South Korea’s tough training system, Chun lived and trained at Seoul’s athletes village from the age of 13, often training from 5am to late at night. She pointed to the need for more ice time for the national athletes — who only get two training sessions a week at the moment — and a lot of hard work.

And the ultimate goal for Chun is to see a Singaporean athlete qualify for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

She added: “That will make me very happy and very proud. I want to build a strong team for Singapore during my time here.”

Watch all the action

What: ISU Tri-Series South East Asia Cup

When: Today and tomorrow

Where: The Rink @ JCube

Who: 65 athletes, six countries including Singapore

Events: Senior (19 plus), Junior “A” (17-18), Junior “B” (15 – 16), Junior “C” (13 – 14), Junior “D” (11 – 12), Junior “E” (9 – 10), Junior “F” (7 – 8)