Edric Soong does not know his height or how much taller he has grown since it was last recorded at 1.33m. But the Primary 5 pupil, who is at least 1.70m tall, has learnt more about himself since joining Farrer Park Primary School's tchoukball team.
Despite towering over the other players in the team, he was a shadow of his current self when he first turned up for training at the start of this year.
He said: "I was always struggling and I felt extremely tired due to all the running, and I would just give up easily. But I've learnt a lot about endurance."
His coach Jeff Ang noted how he has matured, saying: "Resilience was like a new concept to him. Previously, he would cry and be unwilling to try.
"But now, he's both physically and mentally tougher."
Yesterday, as the captain, Edric led his team-mates to victory in the boys' competition at the Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) Foundation National Primary Schools Tchoukball Championships, a one-day competition featuring 20 schools. The hosts beat Beacon Primary 13-8 in the final.
Opponents struggled to catch Edric's powerful shots each time they rebounded off the netted frames. His team-mates joked that they are somewhat afraid of catching his rebounds during training sessions.
Shaik Mohamed Farook, a Primary 4 pupil, said: "It helps a lot because he is strong and he can score many points for us. Maybe he should teach us how to shoot."
Tchoukball was not Edric's first choice for a sport. He chose basketball when he joined the school this year after returning from Shanghai, where he lived for nine years.
But it took under a year for tchoukball to become less alien to him. Now, it is not just a co-curricular activity, but it is also his passion.
Edric said: "I'm happy to join something that I ended up being interested in. And I think I can contribute to this team."
Greendale Primary beat Junyuan Primary 9-7 on Tuesday to win the girls' category.