One of Singapore’s finest track athletes Dipna Lim-Prasad has called it a day.
In a Facebook post, the athlete said she was closing a chapter of her life and looking to starting a family with husband Poh Seng Song, himself a former sprinter and current Vice-President of Singapore Athletics.
“Every athlete arrives at this certain but reluctant reality eventually, and I’m no different. After 17 years of competitive athletics (13 of which repping Singapore), I think it’s time to take a step back,” she said.
“I’ll take with me a lifetime’s worth of highs and lows, and will forever take heart in the fact that I was able to do my bit to help raise the bar in Singapore athletics.
“I’ll also feel proud of myself for pushing through, no matter how many times circumstances made it easier to just call it quits there and then.”
An Olympian, she rewrote the national record in the 400m and also achieved a sub-59s in the 400m hurdles when she clocked 58.93s at the recent Asian Games in Jakarta.
She clocked 54.18sec in the 400m race at the 2017 Southeast Asian Games to erase Chee Swee Lee’s 1974 record of 55.08sec set at the Asian Games in Teheran, Iran.
See race here.
“I will always remember these as bittersweet; both pain, but also my greatest moments of pride.”
She said that it was ‘many factors’ which led to her decision.
“But athletes always look forward, and so am I. I’m hanging up my spikes and calling time on competitive athletics for now, and look forward to the next phase of life: Starting a family with Seng Song will take centre place.”
See post here.
Main photo sourced here.