Breaking Boundaries: Yvette Kong’s Olympic Journey The athlete’s transformative personal journey

“The first step was to acknowledge that it was okay not to be okay. I also learned to be vulnerable, and valued authenticity over impeccability. I realised that I had been too fixated on the result and I wasn’t enjoying the process at all. Swimming was so much more than performance - it’s also about the memories, life lessons, relationships and other intangible things. The ‘aha’ moment was learning to enjoy the process: I realised that the journey was the reward. A lot of the pressure was off after realising that. It also helped to remember why I started my career. How happy I was when I first started swimming and carrying that mentality again. The greatest motivation turned out to be just the simplest thing - and that’s pure love for the career. That got me out of retirement and I slowly made my way back to the pool.” Yvette went on to compete at the Rio Olympics in 2016.

“For me, my biggest learning experience from the Olympics, or perhaps life at large, was about the love and passion, the hope and possibilities; the satisfaction and appreciation; the humanity and sensitivity; the falling and learning; the peace and competition. Success seemed to be relative and personal, as with contentment. What makes a "success story"? I wasn’t sure, yet it all seemed uniquely comparable to one’s own limitation. In retrospect, my Olympic experience was not only a fulfilment of my childhood dream, but also a test of my ability to put things into perspective.”

“I look back on my challenges as blessing in disguise. At the other end is transformation and personal growth. Learning how we react to circumstances: letting go of things that we can’t control, doing our best, and accepting reality. My advice for coping with pressure is to remember we only need to do our best. With that in mind, we’re in total control of our tasks. So, let go of the end result and divert all our energy to the process. Now, go confidently.”