When his football dreams took a hit in 2020, Hugo Kjellander pivoted to sprinting and it has paid off in a big way.
Now, at 17-years-old, he rewritten Singapore’s indoor 200m national record.
At the Bannister Winter Classic in Gothenburg, Sweden on 15 February, Hugo blazed through the race in 22.19s, crushing the previous 22.60s mark set by Zubin Muncherji in 2018.
While he excels in the 200m, Hugo specialises in the 400m, with a personal best of 49.69s indoors.
He also competes in the 60m and 100m, and his next target is the Swedish U-18 Indoor Championships on March 1-2, where he aims to win the 400m and a medal in the 60m.
Hugo, who studies at Malmo Idrottsgymnasium, started as a footballer but switched to track after an inter-school sprint competition in Sweden sparked his interest.
“I was more interested to give track a chance rather than finding a new club to play football for. I have never regretted that decision,” he said to The Straits Times.
Since then, he has trained with top coaches, including Sweden’s David Vendel, and has made steady progress.
Born in Germany to a Swedish father and Singaporean mother, Hugo lived in Singapore for three years before settling in Sweden in 2012.
Looking ahead, Hugo hopes to study and compete in the U.S. collegiate system and, ultimately, make it to the Olympics.
However, the young sprinter has both Singapore and Swedish passports, national service looms as a major decision point.
“Formally I have never been called up for the national team of either country yet, so for now I represent myself and my club and will make a decision if and when it becomes a reality to compete for the national team,” he said.
MAIN PHOTO: HUGO KJELLANDER