Ahead of Paris 2024, CNA speaks to the loved ones of Team Singapore's athletes to find out what it takes to parent an Olympian.
SINGAPORE: In the backseat of the car lay two girls, wrapped up, fast asleep and none the wiser as their parents navigated foggy roads from Edinburgh to Glasgow in early morning darkness.
“You could give her a table tennis bat, badminton racquet, whatever. Her greatest joy then and still now would be sports.”Uma herself had been a middle-distance track and field runner, while Amita's father Eric was an avid skateboarder and also did judo. “If they gave me their reasons and I think it’s sound, I would go with it. But if I thought it was not really all put together, I’d give them the benefit of making a decision in that direction and then the disadvantages as well.
Her parents didn’t think Amita was all that serious, but she continued to revisit the contract every few days. When they realised her heart was set, her parents appliedBut it was during those few months that life, as the Berthier family knew it, forever changed.Along with Uma, Eric had been actively involved in Amita’s fencing and as a “big supporter” of his daughter.The father would drive her to and from the Singapore Sports School, and spend hours watching football matches with her.
Amita went on to win individual gold. The sisters also combined with Tatiana and Maxine Wong to win theAmita Berthier with her sister Aarya , her late father Eric and her mother Uma. Amita had interest from Harvard and Columbia universities but it was the University of Notre Dame’s strong sporting culture and emphasis on academics that appealed to her.
“It was challenging, very hard, especially the first year. You’ve got university academic demands, you’ve got international competitions … and you’ve got university demands for the NCAA .” “We’ve been absolutely fortunate in finding angels along the way that came and kind of directed us,” she added.In March 2021, Amita and her university teammates won the NCAA Championships, making her the first Singaporean to win an NCAA fencing title.A month later, she again wrote her name into the history books when she became the first Singaporean fencer to qualify outright for the Olympics.
But the COVID-delayed Tokyo Olympics was bittersweet for Uma. With spectators banned, she could only watch her daughter compete through a screen. Amita secured her spot at the upcoming Olympics after finishing joint 20th in the women's foil event at the International Fencing Federation Grand Prix in Washington in March.
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