Xu Yuan Zhen, 21 years old, has been a sailor for 10 years. He established a credible track record in various Optimist events before moving on to the 420 class with equal success. In 2004, he started sailing the Olympic 470 Class. However, he had the opportunity to represent Singapore in the 2005 SEA Games with crew Justin Wong at the SEA Games in the 420 class.

Following his success at the 2005 SEA Games, Yuan Zhen paired with fellow SEA Games Gold Medalist, Terrence Koh in the 470 class. Together, they won a silver medal at the 2006 Asian Games.

Now fully committed to training for Beijing 2008, Yuan Zhen has deferred his academic studies so he can fully realize his potential in the 470 class. He expects to achieve his peak sailing years from 2008 through 2012.