ACCIDENTAL GLORY
The guys did get it — but only after watching their female counterparts bask in the limelight for several years. And leading the way for the boys was the cool and gentlemanly David-Jonathan Chan. It helped that he was just enjoying his sport rather than trying to make a grand statement about how the guys too could shine.
Yes, when gymnast David made his little history, he did so with his characteristic low key style. First, he captured bronze at the 2007 SEA Games in Korat, Thailand, to become the first Singapore male gymnast to win a medal at this competition in 20 years. Then, in another breakthrough, he clinched bronze at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, finishing behind Australia’s Prashanth Sellathurai and England’s Max Whitlock.
Those were big moments for Singapore gymnastics, especially for the men’s team which could only watch as their female counterparts lifted their sport from the doldrums. Yet, looking back at his sports career, David says he did not expect much from it as he was guided purely by passion — from the start.
As a student at Raffles Institution in the late 90s, he, with the support of his parents, made the bold decision to move to Perth for better training. “At that time, I wasn’t thinking of national glory or anything like that. I just wanted to get better in something I was very interested in. It didn’t even matter to me that others didn’t care much about it,” says the aerospace engineering graduate from the University of Michigan.
It was such purity of purpose which kept him going when life in Perth proved hard at first. The move proved worthwhile as he made much progress as a gymnast. He also grew as an athlete. “Among other things, I learnt what it means to follow one’s heart and not to hold back — in terms of effort put in or sacrifices made. It doesn’t matter if your pursuit isn’t popular as long as you like it and believe in it,” he says.
After his stint in Australia, he came back and served his national service before going to USA. This time, all he wanted was a university degree. He wasn’t planning to continue with gymnastics. But he could not resist the lure of the sport. With the encouragement of coach Kurt Golder, he eventually joined the university team.
It turned out his US stint proved to be particularly fruitful. He started making waves on the collegiate scene there and even earned the prestigious All-American, one of the highest honours in US college sports. On his US experience, he says what he remembers most isn’t the results but the journey. “Things can get very intense as the level of competition is very high. But what keeps people going is the sense of fun, the team work, the values learnt as part of our development as athletes — the need for hard work, the importance of having friends who push you and support you. Competing in such an environment, you can always feel the energy. It’s almost natural to love your sport and enjoy the journey.”
Not that his path was smooth sailing. In fact, as a gymnast, he had his share of back problems, a result of cumulative injuries. But he always kept going. Being in a less popular sport, he has always been motivated by the hope that his exploits will inspire a new generation of gymnasts. Good things — many unexpected and unplanned — did happen to him. They too, he believes, can happen to today’s athletes — if they follow the heart and work hard.
