PARIS — When Singaporean kayaker Stephenie Chen punched her ticket to the Olympics in April, her family also started looking for flights to Paris to support her.
At Vaires-sur-Marne, the Chen family — parents Michael and Sarah-Yvonne Chong, as well as three sisters Abigail, Anna and Sarah — were a lively presence, shouting themselves hoarse as Stephenie competed in the women's K1 500m heat and quarter-finals on Aug 7.
She has qualified for the semi-finals on Aug 10.
This family of athletes know it can be a rough and lonely journey in sports.
Michael, 70, used to practise gymnastics in Upper Aljunied Technical School, and taught his six children the spirit of being a sportsman and stressed the importance of character-building through sport.
Besides his son Spencer, his five daughters — Stephenie and former kayakers Andrea, Abigail and Sarah, as well as former rugby player Anna — are current or former national athletes.
Age has now caught up, and even though he now suffers from severe eczema and gut issues, Michael continues to practise what he preaches, taking things in his stride as the taxi driver travelled more than 10,000km to Paris.
Michael said: "If not for her dedication, hard work, discipline and perseverance, I wouldn't be in Paris watching her perform on the biggest sporting stage.
"As parents, we want the best for our children in the way of their choice. Of course, we are very excited and we're here to signal our very best support."
His wife echoed his sentiment. Chong, a 68-year-old part-time waitress and cleaner, added: "All the sacrifice as a mum is pretty much only missing having her physically around.
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"I am extremely proud of her passionate perseverance to pursue her goal to reach the Olympics, and she did it! So, we just simply had to be here in Paris to cheer her on."
To chase her dream, Stephenie has had to be away from home most of the time.
The 32-year-old was in Tokyo for the Olympic qualifiers in April, and then in Portugal to prepare for Paris 2024.
While the sisters have retired from their national teams, they are fully behind Stephenie, who claimed a silver at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023.
Physiotherapist Sarah, 31, said: "We brought our well-seasoned voice boxes and, in true Singaporean style, her favourite foods, like Korean instant noodles, to cheer her on and keep her motivated.
"It makes us incredibly proud to see Stephenie compete and satisfying to see all her hard work and sacrifices paying off. She has come this far because of her own passion and unwavering focus, this is all Steph."
Stephenie was heartened by her family's "unwavering support" which spurred her on in a nervy opening heat in which she finished fifth out of six competitors.
She then produced a gritty performance in the quarter-finals to finish fifth out of eight participants and qualify for the next round. She will race in the first of the four semi-finals.
Geraldine Lee was the first Singaporean kayaker to compete at the quadrennial Games. She finished seventh out of eight athletes in the second of three K1 500m semi-finals at London 2012.
The Singapore Canoe Federation is organising a live watch party from 3.30pm on Aug 10 at the Sports Hub Library.
Stephenie said: "It feels really nice to have home with me here on foreign soil. The watch party is also a pretty cool initiative and I'm glad our sport is getting some exposure from it.
"I'm pretty happy with my quarter-final, but there's more to improve on and I will be working on that."
Bill Lee, national coach for sprint kayak, said it is no small feat for Stephenie to be in the last 28 of the 40-woman field.
He added: "She can work on a smoother race with a stronger finish for the semi-finals, but reaching this stage is a great achievement because it gives Stephenie the confidence that she can fight against the best."
This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.
