Four-time Olympian Jocelyn Yeoh inducted into Singapore’s Sports Hall of Fame
Jocelyn YeoThe four-time Olympian was inducted into Singapore’s Sports Hall of Fame this week.
Yeo was one of eight Hall of Famers inducted at Tuesday’s ceremony, three of whom were athletes.
Yeo competed in four Olympics from 1992 to 2004. She served as Singapore’s flag bearer at her 2000 Sydney Opening Ceremony. She was 17 years old when she competed in the 1996 Olympics, where she competed in the 200m individual medley, 100m butterfly, and the difficult programs of 50m and 100m. , 200 and 400 are free.
Four years later, the program was just as voluminous: 100 breaststroke, 100 fly, 200 IM, 50 and 100 free. She finished inside the top 30 in more than half of her Olympic swims (9 of 16). The closest she came to making the semifinals was a 19th place in the 200 IM in Athens. She also placed 22nd in the 100 free and 23rd in the IM200 in Sydney. She retired in 2007 at the age of 28.
Her most individual medals came in eight years, with bronze medals in the 100 fly at the 1994 and 2002 Asian Games. She won a total of 55 medals from her 1993 to 2005 Southeast Asian Games, including 40 gold medals. In 1993, just after she turned 14, she won nine golds and 10 medals in her home waters.
She competed in her first SEA Games two years earlier, at the age of 12. She has participated in the Asian Games four times and the Commonwealth Games three times.
“I am extremely honored and humbled to receive this prestigious award today, alongside such esteemed sporting figures who have left an indelible mark on Singapore’s sporting landscape.” Mr. Yeo said at the award ceremony. “Singapore was built on the shoulders of giants. I don’t consider myself to be on the shoulders of giants, but I believe we can learn a lot from our predecessors and in that regard, I strive to do the best I can. Sport, especially swimming, has taught me many life lessons and I believe that sport can unite Singaporeans and bring hope to the community, a greater realization. We hope that it will be a tool and an equalizer.”
Yeo has accomplished a lot outside of the pool as well. At the University of California she studied for one year, and then at the University of Texas she studied for three years. She won a Rhodes Scholarship to study the science and medicine of athletic performance. She served as a nominated member of parliament in Singapore from 2006 to 2011 and has also worked as a television analyst.
A 21-time All-American, Yow won 10 Big 12 championships at the University of Texas. At the University of California, in 2000 he competed in a pair of NCAA relay championships. He was named team MVP in both programs.
Other athletes inducted into the Singapore Sports Hall of Fame are: Yu Mengyua table tennis player who twice placed 4th in the Olympics, and a boxer. Syed Abdul Kadir The only Singaporean to represent the country in the sport. A total of 57 athletes have been inducted since the Hall was established in 1985, including Olympic swimming gold medalists joseph schooling and paralympic swimmers Mr. Yip Pingshu.
Inductees include water polo officials and the late Dr. Tan Enliang He was a water polo player and vice president of the National Olympic Council of Singapore. kenneth key Representative water polo player and head coach.