Over 200 coaches recognised for their efforts at four major Games in 2025

SINGAPORE – As a former army warrant officer with 29 years of experience, national para shooting coach Deanne Pheong is not one who gets emotional easily.

But on Jan 23 in Korat, Thailand, the stern-looking but amicable former national shooter was deeply moved when the Singapore national anthem rang out twice during the Asean Para Games after her charges, Daniel Chan and Theresa Goh, clinched individual gold medals.

She said: “Over the last few years, the most memorable thing was that they allowed me to sing Majulah Singapura twice. I sang so loudly and that made me very emotional.”

The unforgettable experience was the high point in her three-year coaching career, as she shared the joy of victory with her athletes at the biennial Games.

On Feb 13, Pheong was one of the 214 coaches from 79 sports who took centre stage during Sport Singapore’s Coaches Appreciation Night at the Changi Experience Studio in Jewel Changi.

They received medallions in appreciation of their efforts at four major Games in 2025 – SEA, Asean Para, Asian Youth and Asian Youth Para Games.

Among the other coaches who were recognised were national sprints coach Luis Cunha, 3x3 basketball coach Lazar Rasic and para judo coach Gerard Lim.

Pheong, 53, was cheered by the event, which made her “feel very appreciated and very proud to be part of the team”.

She added: “This is good because coaches are working behind the scenes, and not many people know about our contribution sometimes, while the athletes are at the front performing.

“This is my best achievement so far.”

Shooter Chan, who has Erb’s Palsy, a condition which damaged the nerves in his left arm, praised Pheong as a “coach every athlete deserves”.

The 38-year-old said: “She led me to my first major Games, the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Para Games where I finished sixth and secured a quota slot for the 2024 Paris Paralympics, a first in Singapore’s sporting history.

“In 2026, at our first Asean Para Games together, we achieved our first gold medal at a major Games… None of these achievements would have been possible without her.

“She is the coach every athlete deserves and she believes in me and my abilities even more than I believe in myself. I am truly grateful to have her on my journey.”

His teammate Goh, a former Paralympic swimming bronze medallist who had transitioned to shooting, added: “Coach has been truly instrumental in my induction and journey so far as a shooter.”

“The shooting glasses and pellet box are actually passed down from her and these are the equipment that she also used when she was a national shooter herself, so I am really grateful to be able to continue to use them,” added the 38-year-old, who was born with spina bifida – a condition in which the spine and spinal cord do not form properly.

When asked about her experience coaching para athletes, Pheong said: “Their rules are a little bit different from able-bodied athletes.

“This is my first time taking a wheelchaired athlete with Theresa, but luckily for me, she is a high-performance athlete and can adapt to changes quickly.

“Looking ahead, we would like to bring Theresa to the Asian level, at the Asian Para Games and hopefully she can reach that standard.”

National athletics relays coach Hamkah Afik also hailed the efforts to recognise the coaches.

“You recognise the athlete, but I think you also need to recognise the coaches, because a lot of the coaches are doing all the work at the back.”

At the biennial Games in Thailand, the men’s team clinched bronze in the 4x400m relay, while the women’s team broke the national 4x100m record but finished fourth.

“It was not the kind of result that I wanted,” added Hamkah, 54. “That national record would have given us gold and silver in all editions of the SEA Games, but we did not win a medal this time, so I was a bit disappointed.”

Asked about his drive to help athletics succeed, he said: “I’m highly motivated, and I want to ensure that the current athletes and even the next generation of athletes will have that kind of commitment and that kind of fighting spirit.”

Sprints coach Cunha, who handles Shanti Pereira and Calvin Quek, said: “End of the day, if I’m here, it is because of what the athletes that are training under me did.

“It’s always good to have this kind of recognition... it’s also a reminder that I’m doing something that helps the athletes to achieve something that they want.”

Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Culture, Community and Youth, and Sustainability and the Environment, Goh Hanyan, who was the guest of honour, thanked the coaches for their dedication to Team Singapore.

In her speech, she said: “Athletes often take centre stage. Their victories, struggles and moments of glory are what we see and celebrate.

“However, as we all know, these moments do not happen overnight; neither are they created in a vacuum. Behind every podium finish and personal best is a coach who believed first and saw the potential before it was visible to the rest of us, or even the athletes themselves… To all the coaches, thank you for your dedication to Team Singapore.”