Cover Sailor Ryan Lo at the Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing test event in Marseille, France. Photo: World Sailing/Mark Lloyd
Sailor Ryan Lo at the Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing test event in Marseille, France. Photo: World Sailing/Mark Lloyd
1 / 1
Competing in various sports from kitefoiling to fencing, equestrian and rowing, seven athletes, who are among those representing Singapore at the Paris 2024 Olympics, share what it means to perform at the top of their game. Singapore sailor Ryan Lo shares his hopes for his second Olympics
You can say that sailing has always been in Ryan Lo’s blood. Both his half-siblings were national sailors. His sister Man Yi represented Singapore at the Beijing 2008 Olympics and secured gold in the laser radial event at the 2005 Southeast Asia (Sea) Games; meanwhile, his brother Jun Hao took silver at the 2007 Sea Games. “I started mainly because of my siblings. I had no one to play with at home, so sailing was how I spent more time with them. That really kept me motivated in the sport,” he recalls. By the age of nine, Lo was already competing as he was “hooked on the feeling of competition with other sailors, the elements, as well as the many changing variables”.
“I started mainly because of my siblings. I had no one to play with at home, so sailing was how I spent more time with them. That really kept me motivated in the sport,” he recalls. By the age of nine, Lo was already competing as he was “hooked on the feeling of competition with other sailors, the elements, as well as the many changing variables”.
Above Making his Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020 (Photo: World Sailing / Sailing Energy)
Making his Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020 (Photo: World Sailing / Sailing Energy)
1 / 1
At age 12, Lo, together with three other junior sailors, set a world record in junior sailing by winning a fourth consecutive medal in the team racing event at the 2009 IODA Optimist World Sailing Championship. A year later, he won bronze for Singapore at the 2010 Asian Games—his competition debut—and later added another at the 2018 Asian Games. The third time proved to be a charm, as he went on to win Singapore’s second gold medal at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games in the ILCA7 event, thus securing his spot for the Paris Olympics—his second appearance following his debut in Tokyo 2020.
However, it has not all been smooth sailing for Lo, as he recalls the bumpy transition from youth to senior class. “It was a big jump. I was doing pretty well in youth. But when I transitioned to the senior category, we were accompanied by Olympians who are 10, 15, 20 years older. At the first big competition that I went to, the Princesa Sofia Regatta in Palma, Spain, I finished in the bronze fleet, which was the last group. That was a huge blow for me, because of my expectations going into the competition. It helped to keep me in check.”
Above Competing at Ready Steady Tokyo Sailing in 2019 (Photo: World Sailing Energy / Pedro Martinez)
Competing at Ready Steady Tokyo Sailing in 2019 (Photo: World Sailing Energy / Pedro Martinez)
1 / 1
Reflecting on his debut Olympic experience, Lo notes a shift in his approach. “Tokyo was a new experience for me. It was my first Games, so I definitely faced a lot of pressure going into it, most of which was self-inflicted,” he shares. “It taught me to handle the pressure over the years, and [helped me] mature and grow as a sailor. I’m definitely looking forward to bringing those experiences and learnings, and putting them into practice.”
Lo is optimistic about surpassing his previous Olympic performance, thanks to his personal and professional growth. “I believe that I’ve improved a lot as a sailor and as an individual. I hope to be able to showcase my full potential at the Games.” He has paused his studies at Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands to focus on the Olympics. “I told myself that I would decide what to do after that. Whether I continue another campaign or pursue other areas, I definitely will try to complete my studies after the Olympics.”
Nafeesa Saini is the Features Editor at Tatler Singapore, where she shapes long-form stories on culture, business, philanthropy, wellness, and the people driving change in Asia. With a deep interest in storytelling that intersects meaningfully with identity and impact, she has profiled a diverse range of visionaries, from scientific pioneers in AI and health to creative trailblazers and literary minds.
Nafeesa’s writing includes cover stories and profiles that spotlight influential voices, alongside commentary on the trends reshaping our world.
Off the clock, Nafeesa unwinds with fiction, a good thrift hunt, and ‘brainrot’ TikTok scroll—while always keeping one eye on her next cultural getaway, usually to Indonesia.
