Singapore's 4x100m freestyle relay quartet (from left) Danny Yeo, Joshua Lim,
Zach Ong and Russell Ong

Nineteen-year old Danny Yeo started swimming since young but he had never imagined that he could one day be part of the national swim team and compete in an international sports event like the South East Asian Games (SEA Games) in Laos. But in December 2009, this third-year Diploma in Business Management student led Singapore to a victorious win in the 4x100m freestyle men's relay team event at the Games.

The team set a new Games record of 3 minutes 23.22 seconds to upstage The Philippines and helped the Republic retain its crown which it has held since 2001.

Danny with his proud mum

Disappointment Followed by Victory For Danny, it was sweet victory, especially after an earlier disappointment. Danny and and team mate Joshua Lim stepped in the absence of Bryan Tay and Nicholas Tan, who were preparing for their examinations in the United States. In Laos, Danny was all set to race. However, much to his dismay, he lost his slot in the 4x200m freestyle relay during an internal trial two days earlier. “I was sure of my place and the team was confident of winning a medal. I was devastated when I lost my place. It felt as if something was stolen from me,” said Danny. Happily for Danny, he still managed to secure a place in the 4x100m freestyle men’s relay after another trial. And as they say, the rest is history. Said Danny, “I had to clear my mind and kept visualising about the race and the different scenarios. I was determined and focused.”

Talent spotted at club level

Not bad for someone who never thought of becoming a professional athlete.
“Two years ago, I was approached by an American coach at my club who saw my potential. He said he could help me shave off five seconds of my time and took me under his wings,” he recalled.
Danny saw his time improved by leaps and bounds so he decided to attend the SEA Games trials last June. He made the cut.
“I didn’t think I could swim that fast but I had an insane drop in time. Some people may take several years to just reduce two seconds off their timing. So it was very shocking to have made such a tremendous improvement in a very short period of time. It boosted my confidence,” he explained

To prepare for the Games, Danny trained two hours every morning and in the late evenings.
His mentor Lee Gek Keow and other lecturers were very supportive and made changes to accommodate his training
So what’s next for this new swimming star? Danny hopes to further his studies at an American university which are well known for their swim teams and coaches. His dream is to represent Singapore in the Olympic Games in the future.