Terence Koh Sengkiat

D.O.B:  24 Aug 1987

Any advice for the young aspiring sailors?

Be sure what you want in life and go for it with all your heart and soul.

If you have to name 3 qualities that you feel a top sailor should have, what are they?

I believe to go far in the sport, you’ve got to have love and passion for it. If you don’t love the sport, it’s going to be extremely tough to go out in 25knts, 10 deg Celsius, day in and day out, training your guts out.

The second most important quality would be the ability to handle pressure. This will be what separate winners from therunner ups.

Not to forget, talent without hard work certainly does not cut it in the top echelon. Like what Mark Turnbull said, “We trained so hard till talent did not matter.”

What are your key achievements thus far?

I think winning the youth worlds is one I will cherish forever. However, qualifying Singapore for the Olympics was major. It was the first time our country qualified on merit and is something I am very proud of.

How did you start sailing?

This must be a standard question for every interview! My father brought my siblings and I to the beach when we were very young while he windsurfed. My brother was the first amongst us to sail the optimist. It wasn’t long before I followed him and learned how to sail.

What hobbies do you have aside from sailing?

I’m quite busy most of the time so during my free time I really like to sit down and do nothing much.

Notable Sailing Achievements

2001 South East Asian Games, Silver
2005 ISAF Youth World Championship, Gold
2005 South East Asian Games, Gold
2006 Asian Games, Silver
2008 Olympic Games, 22th / 29

Awards

Singapore National Olympic Council Meritorious Awards (1999, 2001, 2006, 2007, 2009)