SEA Games champion Ang Chen Xiang’s first hurdle was an old study table
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National hurdler Ang Chen Xiang is a paediatric resident at the Khoo Teck Puat-National University Children’s Medical Institute.
ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
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SINGAPORE – National athlete Ang Chen Xiang’s start in track and field involved an old study table, which his father turned into a makeshift hurdle.
He was only 12 and his brother Ding Hui, 10, when Ang Kwee Tiang taught his sons how to jump.
“My dad took apart an old study table and made two hurdles using the legs. That was how he taught us the basics of hurdling,” said Ang, who won a gold medal in the 110m hurdles
“He didn’t want us to spend our school break in front of the computer. So we were always out doing sports.
“My elder sister became a swimmer for the (national inter-schools competition) and my elder brother did pole vaulting.”
Younger brother Ding Hui is currently his coach.
The study table had served him well. The 28-year-old is a paediatric resident at the Khoo Teck Puat-National University Children’s Medical Institute.
His top-drawer finish was Singapore’s first gold in the event 56 years after Osman Merican’s win in 14.90sec at the 1967 Bangkok Games.
Ang had finished joint-first with Thailand’s Natthaphon Dansungnoen after both hurdlers crossed the line in 13.831sec.
He said he was not focused on the finish, but in running a good race.
“The sporting world is relentless and success is few and far between. You have to be prepared to fail a lot more times than you succeed. But when you are focused on the end goal, you will get lost along the way,” he said.
“During the race, my focus is on technical execution, even when I’m fatigued... when I cross the line, I will know that my race technique was smooth and that I was achieving my personal best.”
He recorded a personal best in the race – his 12th national record in the event. His previous best was 13.89sec
His father, now 62, was himself a national youth hurdler. His 1985 mark of 15.64sec in the 110m hurdles put him ninth in Singapore’s all-time list.
Ang took to cross-country running, when he first tried track at Raffles Institution. He was 13.
But he made the switch to hurdles the next year when, after just two months of training, he qualified for the national inter-schools finals.
Ang Chen Xiang (centre) finishing second in the men’s 110m hurdles final at the Cambodia SEA Games on May 10, 2023 before being upgraded to gold.
ST PHOTO: DESMOND FOO
In 2015, he clocked 14.44, setting a national record in the event. In June that year, he lowered it to 14.38 at the SEA Games in Singapore.
Juggling sports and medicine has not been easy, he confessed.
In 2019, his medical exams clashed with the Singapore Open, which was held in March that year.
“That was when I started studying way in advance – what I termed ‘front loading’ my studies. But I must be honest, this is not for everyone,” he said.
At the Singapore Open, he rewrote the 110m hurdles national record twice – 14.27 in the heats and 14.26 in the final.
As a resident, he said his days “are generally quite long” but fulfilling.
“Fortunately, the weekends are mine. I guess to help make up for the fatigue.
“I usually take the time to train at the tracks. I would lie on the track with a shirt across my face to take in a short nap. That usually gives me a burst of energy before I train,” he said.
Dr Ang Chen Xiang said juggling sports and medicine has not been easy.
ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN
He focuses on challenging and pushing himself to do better, both at work and on the track.
“I have an internal scorecard. At work, I always look for ways to do better and reflect on actions and decisions taken to see how I can treat my little patients better,” he said.
“At the running track, I would grade my performances. If I clock a reasonable time straight after work, I am happy.
“I also grade myself against my immediate competition – myself,” he said.
Ang Chen Xiang celebrates after winning the SEA Games men’s 110m hurdles final in Phnom Penh on May 10, 2023.
ST PHOTO: DESMOND FOO
Ang said it takes a support system to win a gold medal.
“My family is supportive, and my bosses and colleagues too.
“I was given two months time-out to train for the SEA Games,” he said.
“If it weren’t for my colleagues working double shifts and picking up the slack, I wouldn’t have been able to concentrate on my training.
“So the gold medal at these SEA Games was not only my win, but that of my family, my friends and definitely my colleagues.”
