Umaglia Kancanangai Shyam Dhuleep, (born 1 July 1976) commonly known as U. K. Shyam, is a retired Singaporean

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

athlete and former national 100m record holder of Singapore. He attended St. Andrew's Secondary School and

Raffles Junior College The Raffles Junior College (RJC) was a junior college in Singapore offering pre-university education. The college was founded in 1982, following a separation from the pre-university section of Raffles Institution (RI). Raffles Junior College ...

, and went on to do a double degree in Philosophy and Political Science at the

National University of Singapore The National University of Singapore (NUS) is a national public research university in Singapore. Founded in 1905 as the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States Government Medical School, NUS is the oldest autonomous university in the c ...

. He held the Singaporean national record over the 100m with a timing of 10.37s for 22 years. He broke the 33-year-old record of 10.38s (set by C. Kunalan) at the

World University Games The Universiade is an international multi-sport event, organized for university athletes by the International University Sports Federation (FISU). The name is a portmanteau of the words "University" and "Olympiad". The Universiade is referred t ...

in Beijing in 2001. He equalled his own national record soon after at the

2001 Southeast Asian Games The 2001 Southeast Asian Games ( ms, Sukan Asia Tenggara 2001), officially known as the 21st Southeast Asian Games, was a Southeast Asian multi-sport event held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This was the fifth time that Malaysia plays as SEA Games ...

in Kuala Lumpur.

Athletics career

Shyam joined the national track and field team in 1992. At the

1997 Southeast Asian Games The 1997 Southeast Asian Games ( id, Pesta Olahraga Asia Tenggara 1997), officially known as the 19th Southeast Asian Games ( id, Pesta Olahraga Asia Tenggara ke-19; the 19th SEA Games), was a Southeast Asian multi-sport event held in Jakarta, ...

, Shyam won the bronze medal in the 4×100 metres relay. In 2000, he quit the national team after a dispute over his education funding but rejoined the team in 2001. He went on to win the Hong Kong Open with 10.45s and qualified for the 2001 Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur. He clinched the silver medal in the 100m race with 10.37s, equalling the national record he created earlier in the year. In 2003, Shyam took part in the

2003 Southeast Asian Games The 2003 Southeast Asian Games ( vi, Đại hội Thể thao Đông Nam Á 2003), officially known as the 22nd Southeast Asian Games and also known as Vietnam 2003, was a Southeast Asian multi-sport event held from 5 to 13 December 2003 in Hano ...

and won the silver medal in the 4×100 metres relay with Lin Jingze,

Hamkah Afik Hamkah bin Mohamed Afik is a former Singapore sprinter who competed in the Southeast Asian Games, Asian Games, and Commonwealth Games. He made his international debut at the 1989 Southeast Asian Games in Malaysia at the age of 17. In the 1993 Sout ...

and

Poh Seng Song Poh Seng Song (born 30 January 1983) is an athlete from Singapore who specialises in the 100 metres sprint and 4 x 100 metres relay. Participating in the 2004 Summer Olympics, he achieved seventh place in his 100 metres heat, thus missin ...

. At the

2005 Southeast Asian Games The 2005 Southeast Asian Games, officially known as the 23rd Southeast Asian Games, was a Southeast Asian multi-sport event held in Manila, Philippines. This was the third time the Philippines hosted the games and its first time since 1991 S ...

, Shyam won the bronze medal in the 4×100 metres relay. He retired from athletics in 2005.

Post athletics career

After retirement from sprinting, Shyam went on to teach philosophy at a junior college. He subsequently became a teacher at

Raffles Institution Raffles Institution (RI) is an independent educational institution in Singapore. Founded in 1823, it is the oldest school in the country. It provides secondary education for boys only from Year 1 to Year 4, and pre-university education for both ...

. In 2018, Shyam released a book, written by former national sprinter Kenneth Khoo, ''Running On Empty: The Story Behind 0.01s'', detailing his athletics career. Shyam and Khoo donated their royalties from the book to the

Chiam See Tong Chiam See Tong (; born 12 March 1935) is a Singaporean retired politician and lawyer who served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Potong Pasir SMC between 1984 and 2011. He was one of the two opposition MPs in Parliament. Lawyer by profess ...

Sports Fund.

Personal life

Shyam is married to Chia Hui Ping.

Achievements

*Obtained IAAF world ranking in Men's 100m in 2001 * Qualified for Athens Olympics 2004 – B qualifier * Ranked 2nd in Southeast Asia for the 100m Men's Sprint event in 2001 *Asian Games 2002 (Korea, Busan) 100m Men's sprint event Semi-finalist *23rd SEA Games (Manila, 2005) – 100m Men's sprint event Finalist *1st athlete to be placed on Singapore Sports Council's inaugural Athlete Career Training Programme (ACT Scheme) Programme was launched and conferred by then Deputy Prime Minister

Goh Chok Tong Goh Chok Tong (; born 20 May 1941) is a Singaporean former politician who served as Prime Minister of Singapore between 1990 and 2004, and Secretary-General of the People's Action Party between 1992 and 2004. He was the Parliament of Singapore, ...

. *Ranked 1st in Singapore for the 100m Men's Sprint event from 2001 to 2003 *Singapore Sports Council Awards Meritorious Award winner (Senior) 2001 *Individual Award Recipient for Sporting Singapore Inspiration Awards 2006. *Winner of the Public Sports Medal 2011 *Holland Village Celebrity Silver Medal Winner 2011 "Poser Fun Award Category" *Singapore 100m record holder (2001–2023)

Ambassadorships and scholarships

*Recipient of International Olympic Council (IOC) Olympic Solidarity Fund Scholarship 2002 *Tag Heuer Ambassador for Singapore (2001–2003) *NIKE Ambassador for Singapore (1994, 1995, 2001 – present) *Anti-Smoking Campaign Ambassador for Singapore (2002) *One of the Ambassadors for Singapore Sports School

Bibliography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shyam, U.K. 1976 births Singaporean male sprinters Saint Andrew's School, Singapore alumni Raffles Junior College alumni Living people Athletes (track and field) at the 2002 Asian Games SEA Games medalists in athletics SEA Games silver medalists for Singapore SEA Games bronze medalists for Singapore Competitors at the 1997 SEA Games Competitors at the 2001 SEA Games Competitors at the 2003 SEA Games Competitors at the 2005 SEA Games Asian Games competitors for Singapore