As many of her competitors spent their days preparing for the Olympics, Joan Poh spent much of the past year helping Singapore fight the coronavirus pandemic.
Poh, a 30-year-old rower who is representing Singapore at the 2020 Tokyo Games, had been training and competing full time in preparation for the event. But she put that on hold in April 2020 when she returned to her job as a nurse after the government put out a call for front-line medical reinforcements.
"In a time of pandemic, going back to work felt like a calling,” she said. "When I’m at work, I’m 100% a nurse. When I’m training, I’m 100% a rower. It’s always about finding that balance and making it work.”