SEA Games: Yin has the wind beneath her wings

THE first time Elizabeth Yin stepped into a sail-boat, she was almost paralysed by fear.

She was 11 and to this day, she still remembers the intimidating sight of the endless waters and being out alone at sea with nothing but her wits, a sail, and a rudder to guide her back to shore.

She said: "It was scary. I had to do everything on my own."

After all, sailing was not her birthright. She did not have parents to help her get acquainted with the wind and water, something which the likes of four-time Olympic champion sailor Ben Ainslie enjoyed.

The sport was just a co-curricular activity (CCA) offered by her primary school, St Hilda's, and Yin chose it simply because it "sounded more interesting than the rest".

But, blessed with what some consider a "natural feel" for the sails, together with a calm, measured demeanour and a knack for riding downwind, Yin's development took an upward trajectory.

Less than four years after first stepping into an Optimist boat, she clinched her first world title as the 2006 World Byte Female Champion.

Since then, she has gone on to win the 2008 Laser 4.7 World Female title and also became the 2009 Isaf Youth World Champion.

So how did she become Singapore's most decorated female sailor?

Said Singapore Sailing Federation high performance manager Chung Pei Ming: "Elizabeth is very natural in this sport that requires a lot of 'feel'. She just has that extra bit of 'feel'."

He explained that Yin has a knack for adapting to the different weather conditions, saying: "The weather changes often, and she knows the rhythm of the shifting wind conditions faster than others."

The 22-year-old Yin is a strong contender for the Laser Radial gold at the Myanmar Games from Dec 11 to 22.

The University of Sydney undergraduate spearheads a 20-member sailing team on the hunt for more success in the seaside town of Ngwe Saung, which faces the Bay of Bengal.

Singapore's sailors have always been counted upon to deliver at the biennial regional Games.

Since 2001, they have accumulated 17 golds, 19 silvers, nine bronzes in the four editions (2001, 2005, 2007, 2011) that offered the event.

At the previous Games in Indonesia, Singapore dominated the sport by taking four out of the five golds on offer.

Yin, the only daughter of retired IT professionals Max and Poh Li, is regarded as a key member of Singapore sailing today.

Yet, a few years ago, she was drifting without a clear direction.

The 1.67m-tall sailor's "aha! moment" came in March 2008, at the Laser Radial World Championship in Auckland. Even though she was then competing for the first time in an Olympic-class boat, she was able to hold her own against the world-class fleet.

Defying the odds, she finished 19th out of the 116 boats to claim one of the six berths on offer for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She also became Singapore's first woman sailor to qualify for the Games.

However, she failed to win the local qualifier, and that coveted Olympic berth went to Lo Man Yi instead.

Despite the blow, Yin, armed with this new-found confidence in her own ability, set her sails for a new coordinate.

Her hard work and determination over the subsequent four years paid off at last year's London Games, where she finished 24th out of 41 Laser Radial sailors.

Said the former Victoria Junior College student: "(Before), I was really just sailing for fun and things just fell into place quite nicely for me.

"It was in 2008, when I qualified Singapore for the Olympics, that I first gained the belief that I could do it.

"I told myself that if I had continued, if I get better at strong winds, then there is a possibility that I could win the Olympics."

To pursue this new target, the geology student has put her honours degree on hold and started life as a full-time sailor in August.

After the Myanmar Games, she will embark on a European training and competition stint with her coach Ian Clingan - in preparation for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Training on the water, typically for three to four hours a day for six days a week, drains Yin mentally at times.

To reinvigorate her spirits, the outdoors-loving athlete turns to the outskirts of Sydney, where she scales rock walls.

Said the avid rock-climber: "(I'll) do some other thing to take my mind off sailing, and come back fresh."

While the rugged outback of Australia may be a refreshing change from the sea, there is no doubt that the real obstacle that Yin wants to conquer is the Olympics. Not to merely participate in it, but to win it, she says.

By now, the insecurities of 11 years ago are far gone. In its place, there is now a dream.

Team Singapore: Sailing

Men

•Scott Glen Sydney (Laser Standard)
•Merrick Phang (RS One windsurfing)
•Wallace Gan (RS One Youth)
•Tan Jen-E, Jonathan Yeo (420)
•Darren Choy, Joel Pang (470)
•Anthony Kiong, Stanley Chan (half-rater)
•Edward Tan, Raynn Kwok, Isaac Tang (Optimist)

WOMEN

•Elizabeth Yin (Laser Radial)
•Ynez Lim (RS One Youth)
•Kimberly Lim, Savannah Siew (420)
•Priscilla Low, Cecilia Low (470)
•Fathin Rasyiqin, Bertha Han (Optimist)

ugenec@sph.com.sg

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