At the 2019 World Games, Tan Yee Shu was known as the talented and motivated captain of his Unified basketball team. He continued that leadership even after competitions and in-person training halted due to COVID-19.
Instead of sitting around, Tan Yee Shu got busy. Despite lockdown, he took the initiative to lead virtual workouts with his team. The goal? To encourage everyone to get fit—together!
And it worked. But it wasn’t easy. First, Tan Yee Shu had to find and contact all his Basketball teammates and get them interested in virtual fitness sessions. Then he had to plan and prepare the best list of exercises. He also had to teach several players how to use Zoom; he wanted to be sure to leave no one behind.
Longtime teammates were impressed by Tan Yee Shu’s dedication—and how he didn’t let the limitations of COVID quarantine slow him down.
“Training alongside Yee Shu these last few years has truly shown me what discipline means,” says Special Olympics Singapore Unified teammate Ryan Pek. “He is always looking to improve himself and doesn’t stop till he achieves his goals.”
In fact, Tan Yee Shu has been actively working out and has lost more than 33 pounds (15 – 20 kg). He used to be overweight, but is now at a healthy 154 pounds (70 kg).
“Yee Shu is a super hardworking person,” says another teammate, Nicholas Lee. “His determination to get fit and lose weight this past year has inspired many in the basketball team to do the same, including myself.”
He adds, “Now I now find the time to train and do my workouts diligently when I have pockets of time. Yee Shu is a role model for everyone.”
