Mok Ying Rong follows in the footsteps of
her brother Mok Ying Ren, a double SEA Games gold medallist in the marathon and
triathlon. The 25-year-old physiotherapist previously held the national half-marathon
record of 1:23:14, which was only broken last year.

Ying Rong was already competing in swimming in primary school and then represented her swimming club at the club and national level. She dabbled in triathlons for a while before focusing on running.

Taking it more seriously, she represented
Raffles Girls Secondary at national meets and after finishing on the podium
regularly, she decided to try national level events. Some of her prouder
moments include representing Singapore at the Asian Cross Country in Bahrain at
just 16 years old and also going to the 2016 World Cross Country Championships.

Initially Ying Rong picked up road cycling
for fun, then she decided to take part in duathlons since it consisted of both
running and cycling. This year’s SEA Games will feature the duathlon and that
prompted her to go for the trials at the Singapore Duathlon 2019 – where she
came in second and earned her ticket to the SEA Games.

Her most memorable race is the Tri-Factor
duathlon in Belitung which she won. “I feel really excited about the SEA Games
later this year and am preparing for it with daily runs and bike sessions,
along with strengthening sessions to stay injury free,” she said.

Earlier in her life, Ying Rong had five
stress fractures in her left foot at one point. Her research into her injuries
was what sparked her interest in physiotherapy. She now manages her own
physiotherapy clinic The Rehab Lab and the only time Ying Rong gets to train is
before work at 6am and after work at 9pm. And weekends of course.

“Being supported by PURPOSE inspires me to constantly remind myself of my passion and the reasons for being in the sport. Having a brand believe in me keeps me going when the going gets hard,” she added. “I really like how the PURPOSE products are very comfortable, even in Singapore’s heat and humidity.”