SINGAPORE 22 May 2015 – While the rest of the final year students from the SIT-Trinity College Dublin’s Bachelor in Science (Physiotherapy) degree programme are either in Dublin for their overseas immersion programme (OIP) or are on semester break, Hannah Lee is doing something quite different.
Lee is representing Singapore at the 28th SEA Games held in Singapore this year. As a national track-and-field athlete, she is aiming for a silver medal in discus. Lee will be competing against Malaysia for the silver medal, with gold medal expected to be won by Thailand.
Since Lee qualified for the SEA Games in January last year, the ambitious 23-year old trains up to 11 times a week, with each training session lasting between 1.5 to 2 hours. All this is on top of her studies at the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT).
Hannah Lee training at the Kallang Track near Singapore Sports Hub on 23 May 2015. Photo | SIT
“To be honest, it is difficult to juggle both sports and studies. Thankfully both my school campus and training ground are at Nanyang Polytechnic, so that makes it more convenient to train while I am having classes,” said Lee
Lee clocks in one training session at 7am before class begins, and another session at around 4pm after her classes end for the day. After training, the undergraduate rushes home to study or work on her assignments.
Lee said that she would not have been able to cope with studies and training if not for the support from her classmates. They are always there to help keep her awake in class and make sure she is updated on assignments and notices that she misses while she is away for competitions.
“More importantly, they helped me out with my school assignments, like vetting through my work and helping me with references. I really appreciate them and their support has helped me manage my training and studies”, said Lee.
Lee candidly mentioned that many of her friends and classmates were initially intimidated by her imposing stature.
“Some of them thought that I had a scary face and even wondered ’What if she hits me? Will she break my arm?’” quipped Lee. However, as they got to know her better, Lee’s amicable personality and upright character quickly won them over.
Lee will be going for her OIP after the SEA Games. She is also graduating this year and will begin her professional attachment as a physiotherapist in September. For now, her heart and soul is on the SEA Games.
“Going to the SEA Games has been my dream and it is something that I have always wanted to do,” said Lee, “I have always believed that the biggest competitor is myself. Ultimately when I have done my best and achieved the best that I know I can do, I have already become my own champion.”
Lee is in her top form and is not only ready to challenge her competitors but also to challenge herself in breaking her personal records. Come and root for her and witness the stellar display of her prowess on the pitch.
The women’s shot put gold medal round is on 10 June 2015 and the women’s discus gold medal round in on 12 June 2015. Detailed event schedule and information is available on SEA Games website. Admission to the athletics events is FREE!
