Milestone moments: Khor (left) at the opening ceremony of the 2023 Malaysian Educational Institutions Games; Yam (right) with the gold medal he won at Sukma 2024.
WITH the South-East Asian (SEA) Games set to take place in Thailand in December, a current student and a recent graduate of Methodist College Kuala Lumpur (MCKL) are not taking their chances of representing Malaysia in their respective sports lightly.
Yam Yi Jien Ethan, 19, an A-Level student, is gearing up for the National Fencing Championships in June, which will determine his ranking and opportunity to compete in the Games.
Khor Jing Hong, 20, who completed his A-Level studies last February, is focused on continuous improvement, having recently qualified for the Games by ranking ninth in Asia in the men’s 20km racewalking event at the Asian Race Walking Championships in Nomi, Japan.
Even as the duo aim for excellence in their sports, they have not neglected their academics.
Balancing sports and studies, they say, is key to excelling holistically as students.
Yam achieved full distinctions in both the International General Certificate of Secondary Education 2023 and AS-Level 2024 exams, while Khor was a straight-A student in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia 2022 and A-Level 2024 exams. Both also won medals at the 2024 Sukma Games.
“It’s really not difficult. Everyone has the same 24 hours in a day; it’s just how we manage it. When I need more time to study or train, I don’t cut out important things like sleep – I just spend less time on activities like scrolling and playing video games,” Yam told StarEdu.
Khor, who is in the midst of applying to universities, said making yearly, monthly and weekly plans in advance helps.
“Knowing my priorities ensures I don’t waste time on mindless activities.
“Not having social media is one reason I can still find extra time despite my packed schedule. It’s not that I don’t acknowledge the benefits of social media – I just see it as a double-edged sword,” he said, adding that setting the right expectations also helps prevent burnout.
While they are driven by success, both are focused on the long game.
Yam aspires to be an Olympian and an Ivy League graduate, and sees taking part in competitions as “part of my long journey”.
“I keep an open mind, accepting whatever God has planned for me.
“When I lose in a competition, I don’t get irritated or angry; I simply accept that I wasn’t meant to win that day, because I know I always train as hard as I can. Then, I analyse what went wrong and make sure the same mistake doesn’t happen again,” he said.
He shared that he fell in love with fencing after he “stumbled upon it” at age 10.
“I’d never seen something so unique – being in combat with another individual with a sword,” he recalled.
Urging students to actively participate in sports, he said it gives them “a new way to think, to activate their minds in ways they can never do in any other field of education”.
Khor, who plans to study applied geoscience for his bachelor’s degree and specialise in geothermal energy engineering for his master’s, said he sees competitions as opportunities for personal growth.
“Being the best athlete in any sport does not make one a better person. What matters is not the medals and trophies, but knowing that I did my best and learnt something through the journey.
“It is not just about strengthening the physical body, but also nurturing the mind and building a mindset and attitude that are resilient, determined, self- disciplined, humble and mature,” he said.
Khor’s racewalking journey began at age 11 when his primary school track and field teacher introduced him to the sport. He went on to train under Bukit Jalil Sports School racewalking coach Teoh Boon Lim at age 14 and under current national coach Lo Choon Sieng after completing high school.
“Racewalking is a sport that puts one’s willpower and endurance to the test. It’s the sport that truly builds my character. One way to know how far I can push is to keep testing my limits,” he said.
To students, Khor had this to say: “Make sports a habit. Find serenity and joy through exercising, and discover which sport intrigues you the most.
“There are limitless options to choose from – you can even invent one on your own. There is no right or wrong, just what’s right for you.”
Li Zhen, 21, a student in the United Kingdom, is a participant of the BRATs Young Journalist Programme run by The Star’s Newspaper-in-Education (Star-NiE) team. For updates on the BRATs programme, go to facebook.com/niebrats.
