Justin Liu, our third-year business and economics student is currently in Rio de Janeiro with teammate Denise Lim, to represent Singapore at the Olympic Games. They will be sailing the catamaran Nacra 17 class.
What an opportunity, and what an honour! Follow them on facebook.com/JustinAndDenise
Outside In spoke with Justin last year when he first qualified for the Rio Games. Ten months on, we catch up with him to see how he is preparing for the Games.
After qualifying for the Olympic Games in September last year, I finished my examinations in December for that semester, then took a semester’s leave of absence to train full time for the Games. So, since December, I’ve been training full time. I will be back in school next semester after the Games in August.
The training has been pretty intensive. I think I have been back in Singapore for just 6 weeks over the past 6 months. That is also the reason why I decided to take a leave of absence this semester because balancing school and sailing would probably be too hectic and demanding.
Currently our team is in the final stage of preparations for the Olympics. We are sailing every day to understand and acclimatise to the conditions here.
I am really fortunate to be studying at NUS Business School because the school has been very supportive, granting me leave to go for overseas competitions throughout the past three years.
Dr Helen Chai, Assistant Dean, BBA Office, in particular, has helped me tremendously. Whenever I have problems, such as when I needed to apply for leave of absence to train full time for the Olympics, she was the one who reached out to help me. I am really thankful for her support.
I have also been lucky that the professors in school have been very understanding towards my role as a student-athlete. They have always extended consideration either when I needed more time for assignments or when I needed to reschedule an examination due to conflicting appointments. These small gestures really help me to strike a balance between school and sports.
My friends at NUS have also been a huge pillar of support for me. I have fallen behind in terms of my school work many times, but whenever I needed help, they would share notes or coach me on the topics I had missed out on. Even though NUS Business School is quite a competitive environment, they have always been there to support me – for that I am extremely grateful.
We are glad that the school has been able to put some wind in your sails. We wish you all the best. Go, Justin and Denise!
Interested in the NUS BBA programme? Click here.