Rio 2016: NTU athlete steers through the waves

By Ignatius Koh

NTU windsurfer Leonard Ong relished the opportunity to compete against world-class opponents. PHOTO: BRIAN SNYDER

NTU’s sole Olympian at the 2016 Olympics, Leonard Ong, arrived in Rio de Janeiro for prior training a month before the Games began.

The 23-year-old RS:X class windsurfer was one of 10 sailors in the Republic’s largest-ever Olympic sailing team — which windsurfing is grouped under. He is also Team Singapore’s first Olympic windsurfer since 1984.

But no amount of preparation was enough for Ong to tackle pre-race jitters in his maiden Olympic Games — despite his experience in last year’s Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, where he finished second.

“When you realise that you’re part of the competition, you naturally get nervous. Initially, I blanked out as it overwhelmed me a little,” said Ong.

“But I told myself that this race was no different from any other, so I snapped out and got ready. I couldn’t control how well my opponents raced, but I could control my own race.”

The first-year Nanyang Business School student eventually finished 34th out of 36 competitors, and thought positively of his first Olympic experience.

He was initially disappointed, but the result was not what mattered most, he said.

“At times, I looked at my competitors and wondered if I was really that lousy. On days that I raced well, it felt awesome, but on other days, it pulled me down,” said Ong.

“Thinking back, I realised how hard the journey to Rio was as I had to compete against many people to secure my ticket. I may not have been the best in the field but I was part of the best,” added Ong.

Being at the Olympics also meant that the windsurfer could engage with other star athletes, including one of his inspirations.

“I realised how hard the journey to Rio was as I had to compete against many people to secure my ticket. I may not have been the best in the field but I was part of the best.”

Leonard Ong, 23
National windsurfer

“Someone whom I respect is (British silver medallist) Nick Dempsey. This was his fifth Olympics and for him to be at the highest level for so long, it speaks a lot about his drive and passion,” said Ong.

“In the Olympic Village, I saw world-class athletes everywhere, so I didn’t want to mess around in front of them,” he added.

“After a while, I realised that I should have carried out my usual routine as it’s the same for them; everyone just wants to do his best.”

On race days, Ong followed a standard routine in Rio – an hour’s warm-up in the gym, followed by breakfast before the team travels to the Marina da Gloria by bus at 10am.

At the beach in Guanabara Bay, the sailors would go through their final checks, and then head out to the water to test the conditions.

A race day consisted of three races that started at 1pm and could last between two-and-a-half to five hours, depending on the weather.

“The wind is never consistent, especially in Rio where the airport and mountains affect the direction of the wind,” said Ong.

The sailors had two consecutive days of racing, followed by a day of rest. They competed in 12 races over five days.

“Sometimes in the middle of the race your competitors make mistakes but you realise that these guys are good enough to recover well so one mistake from me can be costly,” said Ong, whose calloused palms offered an indication of the hard work he put in.

For now, Ong is back in NTU to resume his studies after taking a semester off to train.

“I haven’t studied in a while so it’s something for me to overcome,” said Ong with a smile.

Almost 16,000 kilometres away from Rio, Ong has been back for almost a month now and he is ready to hit the books – until the Tokyo 2020 Olympics comes calling.