Lausanne, Switzerland, January 20, 2020: Singapore’s short track speed skaters Trevor Tan and Alyssa Pok believe their appearance at the Winter YOG in Lausanne is only the start of their Olympic dream.
In the 1,000m event, Pok finished 22nd out of 29 competitors and Tan was 23rd out of 32 racers.
Pok fared better in the 500m as she clocked a personal best of 48.0 seconds. It was also a new national record for the ‘Junior C’ (13-14) category. She finished 25th out of 29 competitors.
“This is my first major Games so I think my performance was quite good considering that I was on the world stage for the first time,” she said of her Olympic debut. “I was feeling confident to do my best, no matter what.”
Tan, on the other hand, had qualified for the quarter-finals of the men’s 500m but was later yellow-carded after being adjudged to have infringed the race by blocking a fellow competitor. This meant that he did not receive an overall ranking.
“I think my performance wasn’t as good as I wanted it to be. But even though it was disappointing, I still managed to learn a few things. I know not to make the same mistakes again,” he said.
Although the Winter YOG will close on Wednesday, the work is not over for the pair. While most Singaporeans will be celebrating the Lunar New Year this weekend, Pok and Tan will be in Italy to compete at the World Junior Short Track Speed Skating Championships.
But they are determined to make such sacrifices in order to help their short track careers take off.
“I’m definitely a little sad that I will not be able to spend time with my family over this period,” said Pok. “But, at the same time, I know that this competition will be a chance for me to beat my personal bests and do my family proud.”
Source: Justin Kor/Singapore National Olympic Council