Pei Quan's mugging pays off as he excels in A levels

BEFORE national sailor Chung Pei Quan bagged an Asian Games bronze medal in Doha last December, the nickname that he was tagged with was 'mugger'.

The 18-year-old Victoria Junior College student was rarely seen without his notes.

Before training, while waiting for the bus and even on shore when the winds were too weak for sailing, his schoolwork would follow him everywhere he went.

'I just studied if I had any free time at all,' said the Hobie 16 sailor.

Yesterday, he received his A-level results and found that he had sailed through with As in four subjects.

He scored distinctions in physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics, and a B4 in general paper.

No more 'mugger' tag for him now that the exams are behind him as he awaits his National Service call-up.

His results are commendable for someone who had spent nearly half of last year overseas, involved in training or competition.

He had eight stints in Brisbane, Melbourne, Qatar, England, France and Germany, each trip lasting anything from a week to a month.

His secret?

Good time-management and achieving a balance between training and studying.

Pei Quan, who hopes to study medicine at the National University of Singapore, said: 'Of course, I had to make some sacrifices, such as cutting down on going out with my friends or playing computer games.'

And his dislike for being behind, whether in the water or in class, motivated him.

In his class of 25, 15 students scored four As, while five had three As.

'It's about constantly keeping up with my work,' he admitted.

'I didn't like the feeling of lagging behind my classmates, so I would keep up as best as I could.

'I was studying more than I was sailing.'

The same, however, could not be said for karateka Ng Pei Yi, 18.

The Hwa Chong Institution student had put in more hours training in the gym for the Asian Games than hitting the books.

But the bubbly athlete still punched through the A levels with As in history, economics, literature and general paper.

'My results are a bit shocking and overwhelming. It hasn't settled in yet,' said Pei Yi, who had scored only a B, D and E in the preliminary examinations.

'I always had training or a tournament. I always felt like I wasn't studying as much as my friends and I wouldn't do well at all.'

A typical day would start at 6am, where she either trained before school or during free periods in school.

After class ended at about 3pm, she would head for training and return home at about 11pm.

She noted that there was 'not much time to do anything else'.

But, focus, self-belief and drive were what saw her through.

'When I trained, I trained hard. But when I studied, I studied hard too,' she said.

'Youth lasts only a few years and I don't like to regret, so I have this very strong desire to do my best all the time.'

Pei Yi now has her sights on a place in the NUS' law faculty and doing well at December's South-east Asia Games in Thailand.

She dreams of becoming an envoy for Singapore in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

And, it seems, nothing can stop her now.

'I suddenly feel like the whole world is in my hands now,' admitted the SEA Games bronze medallist.

'I feel like I'm floating on air.'