| Starting his competitive career in 1974, Siew Shaw Her began by taking part in national competitions until the 1980’s. He was introduced to sailing through the Junior Sailing Club and also got involved with the Changi Sailing Club, spending hours just watching the boats from Changi Beach.
Shaw Her took 5th place in the 1982 Asian Games with crewmate Tan See Suan, who was also his coach. He improved on this performance in the 1983 SEA Games by taking gold. This time he partnered Khor Chek Leong. The following year saw him partnered with Benedict Tan and he took 1st place in the Asian Fireball Championships. In 1987 Shaw Her won the SEA Games gold in Jakarta, this time partnered with Joseph Chan Khun Sing. They were well matched and took a silver medal in the 1988 Asian Regatta prior to the Seoul Olympics. Unfortunately, disaster struck in the Olympics, and they capsized several times.
Shaw Her and Charles Lim got together following the 1992 Barcelona Games and won a silver medal in the 1994 Asian Games and an Asian Championship gold in 1996. At the 1996 Sail-the-Gulf International Regatta in Doha, they took the gold medal and beat the team that eventually took Olympic gold that year. Following the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Shaw Her became more involved in coaching than competing and it wasn’t until the 1998 Asian Games in Thailand that he took his final gold medal, partnered with Colin Ng.
Winning numerous national titles, gold and silver medals, Shaw Her was also awarded the Sportsman of the Year title in 1999. He is named in the Straits Times 50 Greatest Singapore Athletes list. Known as ‘The Skipper’, his involvement in coaching has helped produce some of Singapore’s most talented young sailors. |
