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WHEN Koh Aik Beng first hit the sea 14 years ago, little could he have guessed the ripple effect he would create. His interest in sailing rubbed off - first on elder son Seng Leong, then on Terence, the youngest of Koh's three children. Since picking up the sport at the ages of 10 and seven respectively, the brothers have been making waves. Next month, they will become Singapore's first pair of siblings in sailing to compete in the same Olympics at the Beijing Games. Before them, there were four other sibling pairs in other sports who had donned national colours in the same Olympics. But their similarities between the brothers end there. They readily admit that sailing is the only thing they have in common. Even then, their approach to the sport differs. Terence lives and breathes the sport, often thinking about the mental aspects of sailing, even when he is not at sea. The national serviceman has been so fascinated by the psychology involved in sailing that he is keen to read psychology when he starts university. For Seng Leong, it is the reverse: Getting his mind off the sport helps take some of the pressure off him. The 24-year-old, who has a penchant for adventure and motorbike racing, said: 'It can be very stressful sometimes, so I like to get distracted with other things.' As Aik Beng, 51, explained: 'Seng Leong is the wild one - he'll try anything and everything. 'Terence is very quiet.' Growing up, the brothers always had something in common - their love of sea and sail. When Aik Beng, an avid windsurfer, signed Seng Leong up for a basic sailing course one day, it did not take Terence long to join in. The 20-year-old said: 'I didn't question it. I just went along (with them to East Coast Park) during the weekends. After a while, it became a routine.' He soon fell in love with the sport. And as the packed trophy cabinet in their Pasir Ris flat attests, it is a sport that both of them are good at. Asian Games silver medallists Seng Leong and Terence (partnering Xu Yuanzhen) will be hoping to bag an Olympic medal when they compete in the men's Laser Standard and men's 470 class respectively. While Terence admitted that he might not have been a sailor if his brother had not picked up the sport, he is by no means a follower. Neither does he play second fiddle to Seng Leong, who competed in the 470 at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Terence said with a smile: 'I don't take advice from him - I've always believed that I'm better.' To which Seng Leong conceded: 'That's true. The 470 class is out of my league. 'But if he ever wants to sail the Laser, he'd better ask me for help.' Interestingly, the passion for sailing only runs through the men in the household. Aik Beng's wife, Gloria Cheng, 49, and daughter Grace, 23, are not fans of the sport. Cheng is afraid of water, while Aik Beng stood no chance of converting Grace. While he kick-started his sons' sailing careers, their involvement in the sport also influenced his own career path. From volunteering as an assistant to the coach, he soon found himself signing up for a coaching course. When an opportunity arose at SingaporeSailing, he became its secretary-general and Singapore Optimist Fleet secretary. Aik Beng, who is now the Singapore Sports School's sailing academy general manager, said: 'One thing just led to another. None of it was planned.' While he had a hand in launching his sons' sailing careers, he does not take credit for their success. He said: 'They are not living out my dream. 'There's no pressure on them to do well. What they achieve is down to themselves and their coaches.' |
