Anja Chong (born March 10, 1994) is a Singaporean-born Malaysian

short track speed skater Short-track speed skating is a form of competitive ice speed skating. In competitions, multiple skaters (typically between four and six) skate on an oval ice track with a length of . The rink itself is long by wide, which is the same size as a ...

Personal life

Chong was born and raised in Singapore, holding permanent residency (PR) in the country. She was educated at the United World College of South East Asia in

Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...

. Her mother, Sonja Chong, was the president of the Singapore Ice Skating Association (SISA). Chong and her mother are both Malaysian citizens. In 2011, when Chong was 17, they attempted to apply for Singaporean citizenship after being offered a ticket by the Olympic Council of Asia to compete at the

2011 Asian Winter Games The 2011 Asian Winter Games ( kz, 2011 жылғы қысқы Азия ойындары, 2011 jılğı qısqı Azïya oyındarı) was a multi-sport event that was held in Nur-Sultan, Astana and Almaty, Kazakhstan, that began on January 30, 2011, an ...

in Kazakhstan, but their applications were rejected. She noted her disappointment, stating that "I would've stayed in Singapore because I started out here, but I had no choice. In order to compete at the Olympics, I needed citizenship." At the same time, she was also offered the spot by Malaysia, but had turned it down in the hopes of competing for Singapore. Eventually, she relented in having to represent Malaysia instead for future competitions to continue her career.

Career

Singapore

Asian Junior Challenge

Prior to 2012, Chong represented the country of her birth, including the Asian Junior Challenge in 2008 that was held in Hong Kong, where she earned a bronze medal.

World Junior Figure Skating Championships

In 2009, she represented Singapore at the

2009 World Junior Figure Skating Championships The 2009 World Junior Figure Skating Championships was an international competition in the 2008–09 season. Commonly called "World Juniors" and "Junior Worlds", they are an annual figure skating competition in which elite figure skaters compete ...

Malaysia

2017 Southeast Asian Games

Chong began representing Malaysia at her first SEA Games in 2017 which was held in Kuala Lumpur, where she won 3 gold medals in the 500m, 1000m and 3000m ladies relay. The sport was specifically created for that SEA Games, being the first time a winter sport was contested in SEA Games history, having only been competed by tropical countries. One month before the SEA Games, she became the Malaysian Short Track Speed Skating National Champion, sweeping all the ladies events – the 500m and the 1000m.

Asian Winter Games

In February 2017, Anja took part in the

2017 Asian Winter Games The 2017 Asian Winter Games ( ja, 2017アジア冬季競技大会, 2017 Ajia tōkikyōgitaikai) was the 8th edition of the Asian Winter Games. They were hosted in Sapporo and Obihiro in Hokkaido, Japan. These Games were originally scheduled for 2 ...

in Sapporo. Competing in the 500m and the 1000m, she did not reach the finals, falling short in the heats.

2019 Southeast Asian Games

In 2019, Chong competed at her second SEA Games, which was held in the Philippines. She competed in the 500m, 1000m, and the 3000m relay. Although not winning any medals for the 1000m, she did won a bronze at the 500m, with the gold going to Singapore's

Cheyenne Goh Cheyenne Goh (; ; born March 2, 1999) is a Singaporean short track speed skater. Career Goh achieved her highest rank in a World Cup event, by placing 18th in the 500m event in Calgary. Goh became the first female short track speed skater fro ...

, and managed to get a single gold for the 3000m relay.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chong, Anja 1994 births Living people Singaporean female short track speed skaters Short track speed skaters at the 2017 Asian Winter Games Southeast Asian Games gold medalists for Malaysia Southeast Asian Games medalists in short track speed skating Competitors at the 2017 Southeast Asian Games Competitors at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games Southeast Asian Games bronze medalists for Malaysia People educated at a United World College