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| Human Interest | |
|---|---|
General Interest | |
| Hobbies | Reading, movies. (Facebook page, 28 Jul 2016) |
| Awards and honours | He was named flag bearer for Singapore at the opening ceremony of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (todayonline.com, 25 Jul 2016) He was named Straits Times Athlete of the Month for August 2011. (BWF, 12 Jun 2016) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Handedness | Right |
General Interest | |
| Sporting philosophy / motto | "If you believe it, you can see the results." (Athlete, 04 Aug 2016) |
Further Personal Information | |
| Residence | Singapore, SIN |
| Higher education | Management - Singapore Institute of Management: Singapore |
General Interest | |
| Memorable sporting achievement | Winning silver at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. (Athlete, 04 Aug 2016; todayonline.com, 08 Apr 2015) |
| Famous relatives | His father Shoon Keat won a gold medal in badminton at the 1983 South East Asian Games in Singapore. His mother Irene Lee and his wife Vanessa Neo have also competed in the sport at international level. His younger brother Jason has been a member of the national intermediate badminton squad. (tnp.sg, 30 Mar 2016; todayonline.com, 24 Mar 2014; asiaone.com, 16 Jul 2013; menshealth.com.sg, 15 Jan 2013) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Why this sport? | He was encouraged to take up the sport by his parents. |
General Interest | |
| Most influential person in career | His father Shoon Keat. (Athlete, 04 Aug 2016) |
| Ambitions | To reach the quarterfinals in the men's singles at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (todayonline.com, 25 Jul 2016) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Name of coach | Ding Chao [national]; Chua Yong Joo [national] |
| When and where did you begin this sport? | He began playing badminton at age seven in Singapore. |
Further Personal Information | |
| Occupation | Analyst, Athlete, Student |
| Languages | English, Mandarin |
General Interest | |
| Other information | OCCUPATION In 2014 he began working as a part-time research analyst for Deloitte in Singapore. (tnp.sg, 30 Mar 2016) DOUBTS In 2010 he considered giving up professional badminton after a lack of training time during his national service left him trailing his rivals. "My parents told me, 'Derek, you can still do it, don't give up'. Those were very simple words, but they made a lot of difference." (menshealth.com.sg, 15 Jan 2013) |
Further Personal Information | |
| Family | Wife Vanessa Neo |
General Interest | |
| Hero / Idol | His father Shoon Keat. (Athlete, 04 Aug 2016) |