Four-time national championships winner, Asian Games athlete and SEA Games silver medalist, Luke Chua is already one of Singapore's leading triathletes at just 23 years of age
From the World Junior Championships to the Southeast Asian Games and local TriFactor races, former Temasek Polytechnic student Luke Chua has experienced countless races in his young career - but he's hungry for more.
"Even if you're one of the best in Singapore, there's still so much out there," he shared.
Having already gone through National Service, Luke now trains in both Singapore and Australia, where he pursues his tertiary education.
How did you first get into multisport and triathlon?
Luke: I started off as a swimmer. I was doing my NAPFA test and my swim coach thought I could run pretty well so he thought I could give aquathlon a go. I did that and I think I did pretty well so he said I should go into triathlon. So I picked up an extra sport in cycling and the journey started from there!
You’ve won four national championships, gone to the Asian Games and achieved silver at the SEA Games, which is your proudest achievement?
Luke: Qualifying for my first SEA Games, I was still 17 or 18. Qualifying for the SEA Games has got to be one of my biggest achievements. I was still pretty young so I wasn't expecting myself to be qualifying that early on, let alone get a medal.
I remember that day when I qualified and crossed the finish line, it was quite overwhelming. It was very memorable for me. It might not be a big thing to others but for me, I remember it being one of the biggest moments of my life - qualifying for my first major games.
What’s your favourite discipline in triathlon and why?
Luke: My favourite is actually the transition, which is what we call the fourth discipline. I think the transition is a very crucial element in multisport, especially short course triathlon racing. It can definitely make or break your race. It’s also the most fun to train because it's always about practice and practice makes perfect right?
How does triathlon make you feel?
Luke: Sports has been part of my life my whole life. I think triathlon makes me feel a lot completer and more whole as a person. Triathlon has taught me discipline and a lot of different virtues like patience and sportsmanship. It’s also taught me resilience. It’s something that I hold very closely to myself. Without triathlon, I would be a completely different person.
You’ve cycled in countless countries through many different training camps and competitions, can you share one core memory?
Luke: One core memory would be my trip to France. I did a training camp there before the World Junior Championships in 2019. It was a very good experience being there. It was my first time in Europe and I got to experience many different cultures, the way people do things, riding in different weather and traffic conditions. It was a very good experience to see other athletes as well and how they train.
When did you first break into the National Team and how did it feel? Luke: I think I first broke into the national team in 2017 or 2018, I was still more of a swimmer before I even did triathlon. Then, I did my first international race in 2017 and I kind of knew that I belonged there so it wasn’t something where I felt super amazed with myself. I felt it was the path I was supposed to take. I was happy to be in the team with the senior guys guiding me along!
Can you describe your World Junior Championships experience and what it was like competing on the world stage so young?
Luke: Coming from such a small country like Singapore, we are not really exposed to what the world standard is. So when I went there, I was shocked at how good the other kids were. You’ve got everyone who is your age and they’re doing things a lot faster than you are.
I had two shots at the World Junior Championships. The first year was very overwhelming. The second year was a lot more toned down. I think I had found my rhythm a bit more and I did better at that race. It was a good experience to see where I stacked up against the rest of the world. I knew that as I grew older, these will be the people I would be racing against, so it was good to get a benchmark.
What’s been some of your biggest challenges? Luke: Cycling was the last sport I picked up so it was a bit harder for me. That was a challenge I had when I first started triathlon. I think a recent one though that’s been affecting me the last few years is the mental aspect of racing.
Sometimes, you don't really get a desirable outcome and it’s hard to rationalise that because you’re training so hard. I’m thinking: “My training numbers are so good so why am I not performing?"
Sometimes it takes time and for Singaporean males, you need to go for NS. I just ORD-ed a year ago. It takes time to get back into the rhythm of things. The challenge is having to be patient and trusting the process that you’re training will get you to where you want to be.
What were some concerns you had during NS?
Luke: I was prepared to stop triathlon for a good two years, not going to lie. The best case scenario is that I get to book out and train. The worst case scenario is I can't train at all.
A lot was going through my mind but what really helped me was that my parents and my coach advised me to take it day by day.
I did the best I could to make the full use of it to train as much as I can. As much as I worried before NS, I think I managed my expectations really well and I was fortunate to have good people around me.
What’s your biggest aspiration as an athlete?
Luke: The Olympics, for sure. For every athlete, if you’re really gunning for it, the Olympics is always the way to go. I would really like to get to the Olympics some day. I will get there! Just a matter of time.
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