Athlete's Grit: From Sports to Life

Season 1 - Ep 12 - Athlete's Grit with Michelle Sng

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My guest today is Michelle Sng, National High Jumper, SEA Games Gold Medalist, Adidas Creator, and Comms Specialist.

I first met Michelle at an Adidas Runners Singapore event and again when she was seeking treatment for plantar fasciitis at my red-light therapy wellness studio. Those casual chats would have never revealed the dark periods and troubled times that Michelle underwent as Singapore’s number one high jumper, a label that actually worked against her performance and the hanging up of her spikes in 2010. I am thankful for her time as guest on the podcast as she shares the journey of coming full circle, winning a SEA Games Gold Medal, and continuing to represent Singapore since.

I hope you enjoy the session as much as I did.

Welcoming Michelle Sng.

Timestamp:

  • 0.30 Michelle introduces herself
  • 1.00 How she started with High Jump
  • 3.40 How she progressed to train at a higher level
  • 5.30 Retiring from the sport because of an injury
  • 6.32 What was the difference competing pre and post early retirement?
  • 7.00 Injury with surgery lead to early retirement
  • 8.00 The pain might have been psychological
  • 9.30 Moving away from the label of “Michelle Sng the High Jumper”
  • 10.00 18-months of solo travel and self-discovery
  • 12.15 Being called up for “National Service”
  • 14.54 Lowest moments
  • 15.37 Moving to Kuala Lumpur to train
  • 18.00 Living a different life and Moving On
  • 21.00 Speaking about things helped with the moving on
  • 22.00 Most significant highs
  • 22.45 Emotional journey of going back to the stadium where she first hung up her spikes
  • 24.00 Competition day felt really good physically and mentally and that led to the Gold Medal victory
  • 25.20 Being in the zone and closing that chapter of her life
  • 26.00 To enjoy your journey and not be too fixated the expectation of the outcome
  • 28.40 Setting specific and SMART goals
  • 29.55 How high-performance sport has shaped her professional and personal life
  • 31.45 Sport teaches that not everything is under your control
  • 35.20 Piece advice for youth athletes
  • 36.55 How to identify patience vs knowing when to throw in the towel
  • 38.40 One thing you would tell your younger self
    • ...more
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    Athlete's Grit: From Sports to LifeBy Alex Loh