Tokyo, Japan, July 23, 2021: On the morning of the opening ceremony of Tokyo 2020, the Olympic spirit was very much in evidence at the rowing competition at Sea Forest Waterway.
Singapore nurse Joan Poh was making her Olympic Games debut at 30 years old and finished sixth and last in her heat of the women’s single sculls.
Still, this did not douse the flame and determination inside her – as she immediately set her sights on breaking through the pain barrier and improving her performance in the repechage round.
“I tried my best but sometimes I am still not perfect. I made mistakes on the course,” she admitted, after clocking a time of 8 minutes, 31.12 seconds.
“It is about making changes and taking the learnings to the next race.”
In hot and humid conditions, Poh added: “It’s hard. I raced like a dog out there and it’s not given me the result that I want.
“It’s very mental – how much more I am willing to hurt myself and push beyond whatever pain there is and do more than I can on the water.”
Poh said she would now refocus and go back to the plan she had with her coaches and try to execute the plan in the next race.