When I was eight years old, my swimming coach at Toa Payoh pool asked my parents to send me to train with the Singapore Amateur Swimming Association. "Let's see if she can swim for Singapore," my coach said.

My father said no. He wanted me to focus on my studies, and was reluctant to send me to the pool at the crack of dawn six times a week to do laps. Did I as a result lose out on a chance to become a swim star?