These student athletes take after sporty mums
Two teens among 8,700 student athletes receiving awards
Their mothers are their inspirations - athletes Anggun Kasturi Mohammad Yusof and Daniella Barbara Lawther, both 16, are following their mothers' footsteps, and their sporting endeavours saw them receiving the Singapore Schools Sports Council Colours Awards (Distinction) last week.
They were among the 8,700 students from secondary schools, junior colleges and centralised institutes to receive the awards, which recognises sporting achievements and display of good sporting character and values.
Kasturi struggles to see where the finishing line is, but she never lets her condition stop her from achieving her goals.
The Secondary 3 track athlete from Crest Secondary School was diagnosed with congenital cataract, a condition that prevents her from seeing clearly.
CHALLENGES
She faces many challenges when she runs, such as not being able to see if she is running straight and in between the designated lines.
Despite her impaired vision, she constantly pushed through and excelled in athletics.
She was selected to be part of Team Singapore and participated in the 2017 Asian Youth Para Games in Dubai, where she won the silver medal in the 100m sprint event and achieved a personal best timing of 14.85 seconds.
Kasturi was inspired by her mother, who was also a para-athlete. The pair are close.
Kasturi told The New Paper: "I just want to make my mother proud and happy."
Daniella, whose mother was a canoeist during her school days, joined Temasek Secondary School's canoeing team when she enrolled in the school.
Since then, the Sec 4 student has represented Singapore in various international competitions, such as the 2016 Olympic Hopes regatta in Hungary, the 2018 ICF Canoe Sprint Junior and U23 World Championships in Bulgaria and the 2018 Youth Olympic Games canoe qualifying event, where she finished as the sixth best qualifier from Asia.
Daniella said: "I look up to my mother, and she always supports what I do."
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now