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I happened to mention to the Goonfather that I was going to blog about this 17-year-old cutie who also happens to be a national swimmer.

Amanda Lim has earned MANY medals for Singapore, I told him.

He asked, “Do you know why swimmers in Singapore are getting better with each generation?”

“Why?” I asked.

“Because our forefathers lived in a large continent with no access to big bodies of water.”

I waited for him to explain what that had to do with anything.

“So, the new generations of Singaporeans have lived on this little island, surrounded by water, all our lives, right? That makes us better swimmers naturally, via evolution.”

HUH?

Sometimes, I can’t tell whether he’s joking or not.

Anyway, back to the subject.

Amanda, who currently studies at Auckland University of Technology, has, to date, already won seven gold medals, two silvers and two bronzes in various games such as the SEA Games and Asian Youth Games.

She was also named the Overall Best Performer in the SEA Age-Group Championships in 2008.

Interestingly, Amanda has childhood asthma to thank for her sporting achievements.

“I was diagnosed with asthma when I was young and my family doctor recommended me to take up swimming to aid in faster recovery,” she explains. “That was when I realised I have an interest in swimming.”

Amanda is now training hard for the Youth Olympic Games, which everyone should know by now will be hosted in Singapore next month.

“Training is really tough. Right now, we are in the midst of a high altitude training camp in Kunming, China, training 13 sessions a week, with each session lasting up to two and a half, or even three, hours.”

Because this is the first ever YOG and there are no precedents to indicate the level of competition to be expected, Amanda has set a goal to beat her own personal best times of 25.38, 56.16 and 2.02.81 for 50m, 100m and 200m freestyle, respectively.

“Hopefully, I will do Singapore proud,” she says, “I feel really honoured and proud to be selected to represent Singapore in such a prestigious meet. Even more, it will be part of a historical event for Singapore.”

What of her plans after the YOG?

“My ultimate dream and aspiration is to qualify for the finals in the Olympic Games one day.”

Lofty dreams for a young girl. I hope to see her competing in the Olympic Games someday, too! For now, though, I’m sure she’ll do her best for YOG and make us proud! =)

Amanda is just one member of an elite team of athletes, coaches and officials that forms our nation’s pride: Team Singapore.

Team Singapore athletes represent our country in major multi-sport games and identified international sports competitions.

Okay, here’s a little known fact about me. I actually harboured dreams of being a national athlete when I was in secondary school. I loved sports and took part in many competitions in school.

Er… but my dreams were short-lived because I didn’t have the dedication to devote all my time to training. Although I did win a few medals in school, I was never good enough to represent my school in inter-school games.

After secondary school, I stopped doing sports and my dream became a thing of the past.

From that standpoint, I can really appreciate the amount of hard work and perseverance our athletes have demonstrated to get to where they are today. Every one of them deserves to be celebrated and admired!

Well, the good news is that, even if we’re not athletes ourselves, we can help Team Singapore. Follow their successes and cheer for them! Subscribe to free SMS alerts for the latest YOG results and updates on Team Singapore!

You can do this at the Team Singapore website. Pick your personal favourite atheletes to support!

The even better news is that there’s something in it for you, too.

Go to SingaporeSports.Sg to wish your favourite athletes or teams well, and stand a chance to win a pair of air tickets to Greece.

It’s very very very easy to take part, especially since you’re already a registered member of SingaporeSports.Sg.

Yes, you ARE a member!

Remember you signed up to vote for me in the Star Sports Blogger competition??

What, you didn’t?!

TSK. =(

Well, the few of you who did (yay!) you have it easy now. Just log in, type a short message, click Submit and you’re done!

Well, okay, it’s easy even if you didn’t sign up the last time to vote for me (huh!). Just spend half a minute to register and you’re almost there!

Here’s the link again: Wish and win air tickets!

So, what did you think of the Goonfather’s theory?