 |
IN TOP FORM
(Fencer Tay Yu Ling Excels In Tournaments)
By Lynn Koh & Jason Cai
Fencer Tay Yu Ling, who is currently second behind Ruth Ng in the national rankings, has been in the news for her success in various competitions recently. For example, she shone at the Australia Under-20s tournament in Melbourne and the Commonwealth Junior Championships in India.
Multiple Wins
In Australia, she beat team mate Cheryl Wong 15-9 in the final after edging out Ng 15-14 in the semi-finals. In India, she defeated England's Ciel Mepstead 12-11 to win the gold.
Apart from her individual success, the 18-year-old Tay, who has been in the national team since 2002, was also a team winner in Australia and India. She continued her good form at the
Fencing Singapore Challenge here, narrowly beating Ng in the final.
Credit To Team
Asked about her good form, she said things started to take off at the the 2005 SEA Games in the Philippines. In Manila, she was a key player in Singapore's win in the women's foil team event. "Our team's strong peformance there really boosted my confidence," she said. As such, she was quick to give credit to her teammates - as well as coach - for her latest success.
Great Start
Yet , as recently as the beginning of last year, she was experiencing the lowest point in her sporting career. "2005 was a crucial year for me. I was preparing for my 'A' Levels and was very out of form. I simply could not perform and was constantly tired during training. It was only towards the SEA Games that things picked up," she recalled. The team's breakthrough in Manila made all the difference and now she is having a great start to 2006.
Towards Doha 2006
Currently waiting for her GCE A-level results, Ng, who studied at Raffles Girls' School (Secondary) and Hwa Chong Junior College, is hoping to be selected for the Asian Games in Doha in December. As for plans beyond sports, she hopes to do a double degree in Bio Medicine and Traditional Chinese Medicine at NTU.
|
|
|
|
