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Tan Hong Chun: The Only Way Downhill Is Up
A dislocated hip and a series of concussions and fractures have not deterred this mountain biker.
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The professional downhill mountain-biker’s story is one that would inspire even the most battered and hardened men.
Having retired from his decorated 12-year military career as an elite commando, Tan Hong Chun fell in love with downhill mountain-biking after taking up the sport in service.
But he didn’t expect how hard the bumps would be along the way.
After disappointingly not making the cut for the 2007 SEA Games squad, Tan was finally selected but narrowly missed joining the 2009 team after dislocating his hip a year prior. It was also the same year his mother, an ardent supporter, passed on.
His dislocated hip would require him to undergo surgery and laborious rehabilitation for a year. It took him 3 months to fully recover and he went on to earn a 5th placing in the 2009 SEA Games.
The soft-spoken and boyish-looking athlete might not come off as a battle-hardened soldier, but his track record and sheer perseverance speaks for itself.
He has been placed in the top 5 for most of his races and is dubbed as Singapore’s answer to the likes of world champions John Tomac and Brian Lopes.
As part of the Singapore Seven series’ stellar cast of opinion leaders, Hong Chun delves on what it takes to be a downhill mountain-biker and explains how picking yourself up after a bad fall is a measure of a true champion.
Next week, in the final episode of the Singapore Seven, Samantha Lo shares with us her expressive nature, what in means to be an artist and to fight for the things you love in a no holds barred interview
Catch the rest of the Singapore Seven web series right here.
