Darren Choy, 19, will sail for Singapore at the 2013 Myanmar SEA Games. (Photo 1 courtesy of SingaporeSailing)
Darren Choy, 19, will be sailing for Singapore at the 2013 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Myanmar where he will partner Joel Pang Wen Jie in the 470 class.
Darren won a silver at the 2012 Asian Sailing Championship and his aim is to compete at the Olympics one day.
We caught up with Darren before he left for Myanmar to find out more about his sailing adventures.
Les Tan: When did you start sailing? How old were you then?
Darren Choy: I was 9 when I started sailing and that was in 2003.
How did you get started with sailing?
Darren: The CCA (co-curricular activity) teacher for sailing in my primary school asked me to try out for the school team and I did.
What is it about sailing that you enjoy? Has that changed over the years?
Darren: I enjoy the racing at high levels and especially when you manage to top your opponents in the competition.
For me, it has changed from being all about results, to performing well internally and letting the results of my training pay off.
What are your memorable moments in sailing? The good, the bad, the funny? 😉
Darren: The most memorable moment in sailing was when I was competing in the Singapore Youth Olympics. It felt great to have the country behind my back. Unfortunately, the bad moments for me was when I didn’t manage to perform up to their expectations and I felt like I had let the country down.
A funny moment in sailing is definitely when we train in light winds and we fool around with our teammates by attempting a ‘hijacking’ of their boat. Our goal was to capsize each others’ boats. Haha!
What are the misconceptions people have about sailing?
Darren: Most people thought that sailing was windsurfing. They need to know it’s a very different thing!
What do you now know about sailing that you wished you knew before you started?
Darren: Everything! It’s all about experience in this sport. The more you know, the better.
Which schools did you represent in sailing? What was a memorable inter-school race for you?
Darren: I didn’t race much in inter-schools. We did not have enough sailors at the Singapore Sports school.
If you didn’t sail, what other sport do you think you would have focused on? Why?
Darren: I would probably go into e-sports, or kite surfing! (Provided they make it legal to do so in Singapore.)
You sailed for Singapore at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games. Looking back, what sticks in your memory about that experience?
Darren: The whole games experience was very unique and if I could relive the moment, I would do the whole games again not just for the results. The part where I lit the cauldron will definitely be burned into my memory forever.
Darren Choy Bio
Class: 470 Men (Helm)
Date of Birth: January 28, 1994
Age: 19
Height: 171.5cm
Weight: 59kg
School: Republic Polytechnic
Hobbies: rock climbing, bouldering, table tennis
Major Sporting Achievements:
2012 Asian Sailing Championship – Silver (420 Boy)
2010 Youth Olympic Games – 7th (Byte CII Boy)
2009/10 Byte CII World Championship – Gold
2009 Asian Youth Games – Gold (Byte CII Boy)
2007 Silver (Optimist Team Race)
The Red Crew wish Darren Choy all the best at the 2013 SEA Games! Do drop Darren a note of support in the comments section if you can. We’re sure he’ll appreciate it. Upload photos showing your support of Darren on Instagram using #ourteamsg, or on the Team Singapore campaign’s website: www.ourteamsg.com
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