Trio upbeat for major events in 2026

Calvin Quek is used to clearing hurdles on the track and he has taken those off it in his stride.

- Kimberly Kwek Sports Correspondent

In pursuit of faster times, the national hurdler, who is not a Sport Excellence Scholarship (spex-Scholarship) holder, has had to dip into his savings to fund a portion of his training and competition expenses.

He estimates that he has spent about $3,000 to $5,000 in 2025, in addition to what is covered by Singapore Athletics (SA).

While admitting that having to pay out of his own pocket is not ideal, he also expressed his gratitude towards SA and has remained dedicated to his craft.

His commitment was rewarded at the Thailand SEA Games on Dec 15, when he claimed the men's 400m hurdles gold to end the Republic's 60-year wait for a title in the event.

When asked what keeps him driven, the 29-year-old said: "When I first came back to track (after national service), I came in with the mentality, 'Who knows how much time I have left in this sport, let's just see how far I can go'.