Elisabeth Yin- happier in the boat than in the limelight
by Tan Ho-Yinn, todayonline.com on 17 Feb 2010
Elisabeth Yin MediaCorp Press
It was the greatest achievement of her young sailing career, when she won the girls' Laser Radial class at the Volvo ISAF Youth World Sailing Championships last July, yet Elizabeth Yin wore a pained look when she stood on the winners' rostrum.
It was not because she was in the Brazilian coastal town of Armacao de Buzios, thousands of kilometres away from home.
The 18-year-old simply hates the idea of being in the spotlight.
'I am quite comfortable with it (the pressure), but the worst part is doing interviews,' she said last Friday, minutes after receiving her accolade as the Today Sportsperson of the Year 2009 at Caldecott Broadcast Centre.
'I remember in Brazil I was also trying not to trip or fall (during the prize ceremony), or drop the prize on stage!'
Mum Ang Poh Li quipped: 'She hates prize-giving ceremonies. She looks the saddest.
'Sometimes, she doesn't know where to face. She prefers the competition and process of winning, not so much this which, is the nerve-wracking part for her!'
Yin's win last year was her third world title in as many sailing classes, having also bagged the 2006 Byte and 2008 Laser 4.7 world crowns.
She also secured Singapore a spot in the Laser Radial event for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, although the slot eventually went to team-mate, Lo Man Yi.
Winning last year's Volvo championship - the most important youth sailing event - confirmed the teenager's potential.
Since 1971, 27 sailors who medalled at the meet have gone on to clinch 45 Olympic medals.
Yin, who left on Sunday for Sydney, is one of SingaporeSailing's hottest rising stars, and her goal is to win an Olympic medal.
A far cry from her initial foray in the sport. 'The first time I sailed (in an Optimist boat), the waves looked really big,' she laughed.
Off the water, she swims and plays badminton with her 15-year-old brother Joel, also a sailor. She loves Marvel Comics, in particular the X-Men series, where Gambit is her favourite character.
She cannot get enough of her grandmother's chicken stew, and prefers fuss-free jeans and trainers.
Full story: www.todayonline.com/Sports/EDC100217-0000038/Steady-steps-towards-the-dream-prize
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