Tributes to mummy dearest

SOH RUI YONG, with his mother Tay Siew Lai. PHOTOS: COURTESY OF ATHLETES, BH FILE PHOTO
GABRIEL QUAK, with his mother Chow Juet May. PHOTOS: COURTESY OF ATHLETES, BH FILE PHOTO
ILHAN FANDI, with his mother Wendy Jacobs. With them is his brother Iryan. PHOTOS: COURTESY OF ATHLETES, BH FILE PHOTO
QUAH TING WEN, with her mother Anne. PHOTOS: COURTESY OF ATHLETES, BH FILE PHOTO
CHELSEA SIM, with her mother Gillian Ho. PHOTOS: COURTESY OF ATHLETES, BH FILE PHOTO
EMMA MIDDLEDITCH, with her mother Josiane. PHOTOS: COURTESY OF ATHLETES, BH FILE PHOTO
KUMARESA AND VIGNESA PASUPATHY, with their mother Sreenivasan Jayandi. PHOTOS: COURTESY OF ATHLETES, BH FILE PHOTO
HAZIM YUSLI, with his mother Roshidah Abdul Wahab. PHOTOS: COURTESY OF ATHLETES, BH FILE PHOTO

LIFE LESSON AT 10

"When I was in Primary 4, my mum took me jogging at Bedok Reservoir... She didn't stop to wait for me, but encouraged me to keep putting one foot in front of the other and (told me) that distance running was about consistent effort that would get us to the finish line. She finished the whole lap (4.3km) without stopping."

SOH RUI YONG, two-time SEA Games marathon champion, on his mother Tay Siew Lai, 59.


LEAP OF FAITH

"When I was about five, doctors said my legs were weak. So, every day my mother would boil crocodile soup and frog leg soup to help build my strength. This went on for about one to two years.

My legs have turned out to be my working tools."

GABRIEL QUAK, Lion City Sailors and national footballer, on his mother Chow Juet May, 60.


A CORNY TALE

"As I like to wear my boots tight, I'm prone to developing corns on my feet and sometimes these turn into painful blisters that may affect my play.

Noticing this, my mum would take me for a pedicure once every month and we would do the treatments together."

ILHAN FANDI, Young Lions and national footballer, on his mother Wendy Jacobs, 47. With them is his brother Iryan.


COOK, CHAUFFEUR, COMPANION

"My mum would cook, drive to school, and sit in the car with me while I ate (lunch) and took a short nap afterwards. I was on the 5.30am, 10-sessions-a-week schedule by then.

I'm pretty sure she did the same for (siblings) Zheng and Jing too."

QUAH TING WEN, two-time Olympian swimmer, on her mother Anne.


A LETTER A DAY

"When I was 18, my mother wrote letters for each day when I was away for my first overseas training stint (in Korea for two months), as it was the longest time we were away from each other. For my next overseas training... my mother put her own plans on hold and accompanied me for about two weeks."

CHELSEA SIM, national taekwondo exponent, on her mother Gillian Ho, 55.


ROOTED IN SELF-BELIEF

"If I have a competition overseas that she cannot come along to, she will write me a little note for me to take with me. Although these are just words, they go a long way... they reassure me, knowing that she's thinking of me, even though we're so far apart, and they give me confidence and strength to perform my best.''

EMMA MIDDLEDITCH, national triathlete, on her mother Josiane.


SUPPORT AT ALL HOURS

"Even when we finish training late and reach home at 11pm/midnight, she will stay up and wait for us. She will ensure we have a good meal, looking out to include extra protein and vegetables so we have a balanced diet. She also prepares fruit cups for us throughout the week.''

KUMARESA AND VIGNESA PASUPATHY, national floorball players, on their mother Sreenivasan Jayandi, 65.


IT'S ALL DOWN TO IBU

"She's the woman behind my success. She'll make sure everything I need is ready. She'll prepare my competition gear, iron my uniform...

No matter how tired she is, she'll always make sure everything is okay for me. Thank you ibu for being the best mother ever.''

HAZIM YUSLI, pencak silat athlete and 2019 Sportsboy of the Year, on his mother Roshidah Abdul Wahab, 50.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on May 09, 2021, with the headline Tributes to mummy dearest. Subscribe