teamNUS athletes emerged victorious and broke new records in multiple sporting events at the Singapore University Games (SUniG) and Institute-Varsity-Polytechnic Games (IVP) held from 15 February to 2 April and 23 to 27 March 2022 respectively. Both games returned with changes to the competition format after two years of hiatus due to the COVID-19 restrictions on sporting competitions. Participated by seven Universities, SUniG was reduced from 18 to 13 events, while IVP held two events – 10 events short from the pre-pandemic days.
What was it like for NUS athletes to rebound from a sluggish period of online trainings without certainty of having competitions to recalibrating at full speed to perform their best when doors opened at SUniG and IVP? Our teamNUS athletes figured it how to spring back to life to full competition mode with discipline and commitment.
teamNUS took centre stage in three events: SUniG Ultimate Frisbee, IVP Track & Field and IVP Swimming. NUS athletes offers valuable tips on how you can reach your goals too!
RYAN LEE JIA XIAN
Captain (Excellence), SUniG Ultimate Frisbee
Year 4, College of Design and Engineering
“Find the silver lining! There are always opportunities even in the darkest times. It’s all up to the team to seize it” – Ryan Lee
Ryan Lee, Captain (Excellence) of the NUS Ultimate Frisbee team, reflected on his greatest takeaway— building friendships with the new players on the team. With COVID-19 disrupting many mass-group activities, it was difficult for players find their way back into playing team sports. The opportunity to bond in smaller groups on a more personal level, attributed to the championship point as they were able to communicate better and align with the teammates’ goals and expectations.
DENISE BEH SIN JIE
Member, SUniG Women’s Ultimate Frisbee
Year 3, College of Humanities and Sciences
“Don’t shy away from dedication and commitment, only then can we achieve excellence” - Denise Beh
All that hard work paid off for the Ultimate Frisbee team. In addition, six of the team members will also be representing the nation in the upcoming World Ultimate Club Championship in Ohio, Cincinnati, USA in July 2022.
ERIC YEE
Discus Thrower, IVP Track & Field
Year 2, NUS Business School
“While you need to learn from your mistakes, you cannot dwell on them either. Younger Eric would not have been able to bounce back from such a huge disappointment in a short period of time – that to me was growth as an athlete.” – Eric Yee
Eric Yee has set his eyes on breaking the Championship record since 2015. Seven years later, he set a new Championship Record for the IVP Track & Field 2021/2022, Men’s Discus Open at 46.99m (previous record: 44.62m).
He experienced a string of disappointing results that left him frustrated. He was determined to live everyday a new day to allow him to reset and try again. These failures drove him to a glorious podium finish.
IVP Swimming was held over a short span of two consecutive days, posing as a challenge to athletes participating in more than one event. Nonetheless, NUS athletes broke four individual records and six relay records. What can we glean from our shining athletes? They offer these helpful tips:
List of IVP Swimming 2021/2022 Records Broken by NUS Swimmers
| Category | Event | Athletes | Championship Record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual | Women 100 LC Meter Butterfly | Marina Chan | 1:03.82 |
| Individual | Women 50 LC Meter Backstroke | Marina Chan | 31.34 |
| Individual | Women 50 LC Meter Butterfly | Marina Chan | 28.38 |
| Individual | Men 50 LC Meter Breaststroke | Christopher Cheong | 28.88 |
| Relay | Women 4x50 LC S Meter Freestyle Relay |
Chloe Cheong Renee Fong Chelsea Khoo Marina Chan |
1:53.55 |
| Relay | Men 4x50 LC Meter Medley Relay |
Francis Fong Christopher Cheong Liam Chan Samuel Tang |
1:45.94 |
| Relay | Mixed 4x50 LC Meter Freestyle Relay |
Adam Tan Chloe Cheong Marina Chan Samuel Tang |
1:44.31 |
| Relay | Women 4x100 LC Meter Freestyle Relay |
Shannon Yap Renee Fong Chloe Cheong Marina Chan |
4:11.15 |
| Relay | Men 4x100 LC Meter Medley Relay |
Francis Fong Brandon Tan Liam Chan Samuel Tang |
3:59.93 |
| Relay | Mixed 4x50 LC Meter Medley Relay |
Francis Fong Christopher Cheong Marina Chan Chloe Cheong |
1:53.65 |
A roaring and thunderous applaud goes our distinguished record holders and all participants!
Besides SUniG and IVP, other sporting competitions such as the South-East Asian Games, Asian University Games and World University Games may also be making a comeback soon this year. NUS continues to cheer on teamNUS athletes at the upcoming competitions.
To view the full record results of events, click below:
Check out photos of our teams in action at fb.com/teamNUS.
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