Anja Chong

Anja Chong (born March 10, 1994) is a Singaporean-born Malaysian short track speed skater.

Anja Chong
Personal information
Born (1994-03-10) March 10, 1994
Singapore
Height166 cm (5 ft 5 in)
Sport
SportShort track speed skating
Medal record
Women's short track speed skating
Representing  Singapore
Asian Junior Challenge
Bronze medal – third place2008 Hong Kong500 m
Representing  Malaysia
Southeast Asian Games
Gold medal – first place2017 Kuala Lumpur500 m
Gold medal – first place2017 Kuala Lumpur1000 m
Gold medal – first place2017 Kuala Lumpur3000 m relay
Gold medal – first place2019 Philippines3000 m relay
Bronze medal – third place2019 Philippines500 m

Personal life

Chong was born and raised in Singapore, holding permanent residency (PR) in the country.[1] She was educated at the United World College of South East Asia in Dover. Her mother, Sonja Chong, was the president of the Singapore Ice Skating Association (SISA).[1]

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 in Kazakhstan, but their applications were rejected.[2]

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.[2]

Career

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.[2]

World Junior Figure Skating Championships

In 2009, she represented Singapore at the 2009 World Junior Figure Skating Championships.[2]

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.[3] 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.[4][5]

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.[6]

Asian Winter Games

In February 2017, Anja took part in the 2017 Asian Winter Games in Sapporo. Competing in the 500m and the 1000m, she did not reach the finals, falling short in the heats.[7]

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, and managed to get a single gold for the 3000m relay.[8]

References
  1. "Skater dons Malaysia colours". thestar.com.my. The Star. 15 March 2012. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  2. Tan, Jeanette (6 September 2017). "Anja Chong, a S'pore PR, won 3 SEA Games gold medals for M'sia in speed skating". mothership.sg. Mothership. Retrieved 8 October 2021.
  3. "Other Sports: Ice skater Anja grabs two more golds | The Star Online". www.thestar.com.my. Retrieved 2017-09-25.
  4. www.mhcreative.com.my, Designed by MH Creative. "Winter sports to make debut in KL SEA Games 2017 | Berita Daily". www.beritadaily.com. Archived from the original on 2017-09-25. Retrieved 2017-09-25.
  5. "KL2017: 'Ice queen' Anja gets second Sea Games gold". NST Online. 2017-08-30. Retrieved 2017-09-25.
  6. FILIPIC, Hermann. "Short Track Speed Skating live© - Information - Results". shorttracklive.info. Retrieved 2017-09-25.
  7. "Short Track Speed Skating - 2017冬季アジア札幌大会 - 2017SAPPORO ASIAN WINTER GAMES". sapporo2017.org. Archived from the original on 2017-09-25. Retrieved 2017-09-25.
  8. "Detailed Competition Schedule" (PDF). SEAGames PH 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 November 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
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