Dream-chaser Cheyenne puts studies on ice
Singapore's first Winter Olympian taking a gap year to focus on speed skating
Nothing great comes without sacrifice, many athletes can attest to that.
So in the name of short track, speed skater Cheyenne Goh made the decision to put her studies on hold to chase her sporting dreams.
The 18-year-old is taking a gap year before going to university, in the hope of gaining experience and getting a better gauge of where she stands in the sport.
Goh, who completed her high school education in June, said: "I thought that between high school and university would be a good opportunity to take a year off to focus on skating and compete at all the World Cup races this season.
"Having the time to train and attend these competitions is definitely helpful in terms of getting all these experiences."
It didn't take long for her sacrifices to reap rewards bigger than she could have imagined.
Just last month, Goh became the first Singaporean to qualify for the Winter Olympics, after taking part in a series of ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating events from September to November.
She will compete in the women's 1,500m at the Pyeongchang Games in South Korea from Feb 9-25 next year.
I'll definitely be outclassed at the Games, but I'm mostly just looking forward to skating.Short track speed skater Cheyenne Goh on the 2018 Winter Olympics
In March this year, Goh also became the first Singaporean woman to feature at the ISU World Short Track Speed Skating Championships.
Last Sunday, her roll continued as she emerged as the Senior Ladies Champion at the Australian Short Track Open Championships.
Despite achieving such feats at the age of 18, it hasn't quite sunk in for her yet.
She said: "The experience has definitely been very special and unique. I'm really happy and honoured to be part of these big milestones for short track.
"I'll definitely be outclassed at the Games, but I'm mostly just looking forward to skating the race and enjoying the experience there."
Goh was born in Singapore, but has been based in Canada since she was four, when her parents moved there for work.
An ice hockey player in her younger days, Goh realised she preferred the skating aspect of the sport rather than the stick-handling.
She eventually made the switch to speed skating in 2012, two years after watching the sport on television during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Though short track was not exactly what she had expected, she was a fast learner.
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"It's definitely a lot more technical than I expected, because in ice hockey, it's really about moving your feet really fast, but in short track, a lot of thought has to be put into the motion that you're doing to make sure that you reach the maximum speed.
"It was a lot of practice for me and I got the hang of it after a while."
Moving forward, Goh has set her sights on a university place in Calgary, Canada, where they offer a high performance programme.
With the Games and her final appearance at the ISU World Junior Speed Skating Championships in sight, she said: "I still have a lot to work on and improve, and I'm excited to see how far I can go.
"There's always a chance that you can reach the top and that would be really good, but I think just to see how close I can get will be great."
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