Lee Zixuan

"I was never an athletic person to begin with. I was born into a musical family and played the piano in my free time. 

It was only in my third year of university that I really opened up and found that my body, my fitness, belong to myself. I have always loved the water, and have always loved watching team sports, and therefore, decided to give dragon boat a go. It turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve made in life. From meeting like-minded people to competitions, I love the pure adrenaline that comes with the sport. It is the same feeling I feel when I performed on stage (when I was younger) as well. 

Dragon boat allows me to stay fit (which is required in my daily line of work) and allows me to fully understand that in a race, or in trainings, dragon boat is never a “me” thing - it’s always an “us” thing. It has also allowed me to be more positive in life, to always look forward and to never look back once the boat has moved off the pontoon.

I do not exactly have a favourite memory in dragon boat. Every competition I go to, every practise session I train with my teammates, is always embedded in my memory because every competition and training has its ups and downs, and it is through these lessons that we learn to appreciate and trust each other more.”

[Lee Zixuan (Singapore), paddler on Team OneStroke.]

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