Inter-class race led sprinter to bigger things

SINGAPORE - It was in a physical education (PE) class in primary school that national sprinter Calvin Kang first discovered he had a talent for speed.

Then a timid seven-year-old at St Michael's Primary School, he was emboldened after winning his first-ever race.

"I still remember when I was in Primary 1, there was an inter- class selection for the 50m dash at our sports day," said the Nanyang Technological University student, 23.

"I represented my class and won, and also came in first at sports day. That PE class changed my life because my confidence and self-belief shot up after that."

Kang went on to compete for bigger prizes, representing Singapore at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, as well as the Commonwealth and Asian Games in 2010.

The former Singapore Sports School student's career peaked at the 2011 SEA Games, where he won a silver with the 4x100m relay team. He has a personal best time of 10.53sec in the 100m.

Kang is all for the new PE syllabus that aims to encourage interest in recreational sports such as badminton and football.

"It's good to cultivate a sporting culture from a young age," he said.

"Lessons aren't limited to the classroom - sport teaches you valuable life lessons too, like working for one another, discipline and striving for excellence."

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