Beyond the dream: Ex-national fencer now coaches young athletes for major competitions

In 1993, as Singapore hosted the 17th SEA Games, 12-year-old Dennis Leong watched the Women's Fencing event at Clementi Sports Hall.

Witnessing the competition live was a game-changer for Dennis.

Speaking to AsiaOne, he recalled watching national fencers such as Chan Lai Yong compete in the Women's Epee event, which inspired him to take up recreational fencing.

In a surprising twist of fate, Lai Yong became his fencing coach, and under her tutelage, Dennis made the national fencing team in 1996.

Dennis competed in the SEA Games in 2003, 2005, and 2007, winning two bronze medals for the nation.

Just as his sports career was gaining momentum, an unfortunate injury interrupted his progress. In 2008, he tore a ligament during an intense training session.

Despite persevering with his injury for a year, the young fencer eventually accepted that he was 'no longer in the best state' to compete.

"I tried to train with my injury, but it was too painful, and I had to make this hard decision to stop training in the national team professionally," Dennis said.

Making a career shift

Unable to continue competing nationally, Dennis explored other career options in sound engineering and sales but still found himself being drawn to fencing.

He subsequently joined Fencing Singapore, the National Sport Association for fencing, and took up a marketing and communications role there while coaching his juniors on a part-time basis. 

By August 2012, Dennis had marked two significant milestones in his career. He refereed at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London, a role that highlighted his expertise in fencing. At the same time, Dennis established his own fencing club, SportivA Fencing.

It wasn't easy for the former national athlete, as he had to learn how to manage a business while remastering the sport from a coach's perspective. 

"When I first started coaching, there wasn't a textbook to tell me what to do," he admitted. "I realised it was not just coaching I had to emphasise on, I also had to think about the business part of the club to keep it sustainable."

At times, he would also feel disheartened when his students' progress plateaued during overseas competitions. The coach would question himself, debating whether he could have done more for his students.

After 13 years of coaching, Dennis still reflects upon these setbacks often but understands that they are 'part and parcel of sports'. He realised that many aspects affect an athlete's performance, whether it is related to training or their mental state.

"That's why I'm here as their coach - their mentor - to teach them the technical aspects and give them advice whenever needed," Dennis explained. "At the end of the day, it's not just the results that [are] important, it's how they transform themselves, as a fencer, as a person. That satisfies me as a coach."

Being a part of an exhilarating era for sports

With nearly three decades of experience as a sportsman and coach, Dennis has seen Singapore's sports scene evolve significantly over the years.

When Dennis first established his fencing club, he met parents who thought his job was 'not a mainstream or viable career' and had the misconception that he was coaching part-time or as a side pursuit. Now he contended that coaching has become a viable career path.

He attributed this to the development of Singapore's sports industry, the increase in the number of sports facilities that encouraged mass participation, and more support provided to athletes and the team behind them by the government, corporates and organisations.

Aside from that, Dennis posited that the local sports scene and community will become more 'vibrant' as more major sporting events, such as the World Aquatics Championships 2025, Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Singapore Open 2025 and SEA Games 2029, are set to be hosted in Singapore. 

Dennis welcomed these international competitions as they would bring more opportunities and support for athletes as well as sport practitioners like him. This perspective was also held by more than one third of respondents in AsiaOne's recent sports pulse survey, who cited opportunities to train regularly with the best as a key factor to make sporting careers viable for Singapore's youth.

"It takes more than just an athlete and a coach for the athlete to excel," said Dennis, who added that an athlete thrives on the support of others within the sport ecosystem.

He acknowledged that athletes also rely on vital pillars of support such as sport scientists like physiotherapists, nutritionists and psychologists - professionals who work hand-in-hand with each other to push the athletes to success.

This article is brought to you in partnership with Ministry of Culture, Community & Youth.

sophia.kuek@asiaone.com