Asian Games 2026: Sailor Ryan Lo’s honesty to his craft keeps him on course

Published: Sep 16, 2026, 11:15 PM

Ryan Lo’s love for sailing was apparent to his mother, Dolly, early on.

In 2004, Lo, then a Primary 1 pupil at Tao Nan School, told her that his form teacher said he could join the sailing co-curricular activity (CCA).

While the 58-year-old thought he was too little, Ryan insisted as he was “very enthusiastic to join”.

His affinity for the sea is no surprise – his older siblings Man Yi and Jun Hao were both national sailors too.

A taste of international competition when he was 11 also solidified his ambition to compete at the Olympics.

The 29-year-old said: “From a young age, I was lucky that I had the support to attend many major events and world championships and it helped that I was able to perform quite well and improve at each stage, so that definitely gave me motivation.”

As he progressed, his commitment to sailing increasingly shaped the choices he made away from the water.

When he moved up to the Olympic laser class in 2015, the same year he was due to sit for his A-level examinations, he recognised that balancing the demands of elite sport and his studies would be difficult. He told his parents he wanted to pursue his tertiary education overseas.

Dolly then asked whether he wanted to leave Raffles Institution to do a foundation programme in Perth, Australia, which he eventually did.

Lo said: “I was sad to leave my friends and schoolmates, to leave that familiar atmosphere and environment and uproot myself from there.

“But I was determined to pursue this sailing path, and I was willing to do whatever it took to improve and perform well.”

Ryan Lo will be taking part in his fourth Asian Games in Japan. PHOTO: SPORTSG/PEERADON SAHA-ARIYAPAT

Ryan Lo will be taking part in his fourth Asian Games in Japan.

PHOTO: SPORTSG/PEERADON SAHA-ARIYAPAT

That decision set the tone for the years that followed.

Over his career, he put his university studies on hold for 5½ years cumulatively while completing two Olympic cycles, participating in the Tokyo and Paris Games.

After the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, he enrolled at Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands, which made it easier to train and compete in Europe.

But after the first year, he paused his studies to give himself the best shot at preparing for the Paris Games.

He eventually attained an international business degree from James Cook University in 2026, when he took a temporary break from competitive sailing.

His has not been the most conventional route, but Dolly is perhaps the best placed to understand and respect her son’s wishes.

An athlete life mentor at the High Performance Sport Institute, the grandmother of three is a regular fixture at its The Kallang headquarters, where she befriends athletes and chats with them.

Staying true to this path has required Lo to be away from home for extended periods of time for training and competitions.

For Dolly, having her youngest child so far from home can be tough, and there were moments when she worried for his safety.

In March 2020, as the Covid-19 pandemic escalated globally, Lo cut short his training stint in Croatia and had to drive about 400km from Split to Zagreb to catch his flight back home.

Two days before his flight, a magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck the country, causing buildings to collapse and killing a teenager.

With the highway closed due to snow, Lo had to take a longer route to the airport – causing sleepless nights for his mum.

She said: “I miss him a lot but love can be shown in different ways.

“It’s not an easy road but the fact that he has the courage and the mental fortitude to want to do it and do it well inspires me because he doesn’t take shortcuts.”

In Japan for his fourth Asian Games, Lo will mount his title defence in the land of the samurai, who were guided by virtues – such as honesty – that resonate with his journey.

Over more than two decades, the reigning ILCA 7 Asian Games champion’s unwavering dedication and commitment has held strong and paid off.

At the 2025 men’s ILCA 7 World Championships, he finished 14th, then the best by a Singaporean sailor, which he surpassed in August after coming in seventh at the most recent edition in Ireland.

Now, he is enjoying the sport and relishing the opportunity to help the next generation.

He said: “Knowing that it’s definitely the tail end of my career, every chance I get to sail and compete is very precious.

“For me, it’s just trying to perform and repay the faith that has been placed in me all these years.”

Saying goodbye to school: From a young age, Ryan Lo knew sailing would always be a priority. That was evident when he decided to leave Raffles Institution at the start of his A-level year, which coincided with his first year transitioning into the Olympic laser class.

Travelling and competing in Europe: Sailing continued to shape many of Lo’s choices. After completing national service, he delayed university for three years to prepare for the Tokyo Olympics, a stepping stone to the 2024 Paris Games.

Thinking about the future: After a decade of putting sailing first, he started contemplating life beyond elite sport. He returned to his studies after the Paris Olympics, completing a degree in international business at James Cook University while still coaching on the side.

发布时间：2026年9月16日晚上11:15

Ryan Lo 对帆船运动的热爱，他的母亲 Dolly 很早就察觉到了。

2004 年，当时就读于道南小学一年级的罗告诉她，他的班主任说他可以参加帆船课外活动。

虽然这位 58 岁的老人觉得自己个子太矮，但瑞恩坚持要加入，因为他“非常热衷于加入”。

他对大海的热爱并不奇怪——他的哥哥曼义和哥哥俊昊也都是国家帆船运动员。

11 岁时参加国际比赛的经历也更加坚定了他参加奥运会的决心。

这位 29 岁的选手说：“从小我就很幸运，得到了很多支持，得以参加许多重大赛事和世界锦标赛，而且我能够表现出色，并在每个阶段都取得进步，这对我很有帮助，这无疑给了我动力。”

随着他的进步，他对帆船运动的投入越来越影响他在水上以外的选择。

2015年，他晋升到奥运激光级，同年他也即将参加A-level考试。他意识到，要平衡精英体育和学业的双重压力并非易事。于是，他告诉父母，他想出国深造。

然后多莉问他是否愿意离开莱佛士书院去澳大利亚珀斯读预科课程，他最终也确实去了。

罗说：“离开我的朋友和同学，离开熟悉的气氛和环境，离开那里，我感到很难过。”

“但我决心走这条航海之路，我愿意付出一切努力来提高自己，取得好成绩。”

罗瑞安将第四次参加在日本举行的亚运会。照片：SPORTSG/PEERADON SAHA-ARIYAPAT

罗瑞安将第四次参加在日本举行的亚运会。

照片：SPORTSG/PEERADON SAHA-ARIYAPAT

这一决定为之后的几年定下了基调。

在他的职业生涯中，他累计暂停大学学业 5 年半，完成了两个奥运周期，参加了东京奥运会和巴黎奥运会。

2021 年东京奥运会后，他进入荷兰鹿特丹伊拉斯谟大学就读，这让他更容易在欧洲进行训练和比赛。

但第一年结束后，他暂停了学业，以便为巴黎奥运会做好最充分的准备。

2026 年，他最终从詹姆斯库克大学获得了国际商务学位，当时他暂时离开了竞技帆船运动。

他的做法并非最常规的做法，但多莉或许最能理解和尊重儿子的意愿。

作为高水平运动学院的运动员生活导师，这位三个孩子的祖母经常出现在学院位于加冷的总部，在那里她与运动员们交朋友并与他们聊天。

为了坚持这条道路，罗经常需要长时间离家进行训练和比赛。

对于多莉来说，最小的孩子离家这么远，让她感到很艰难，她有时也会担心孩子的安全。

2020 年 3 月，随着 Covid-19 疫情在全球蔓延，洛缩短了在克罗地亚的训练时间，不得不从斯普利特驱车约 400 公里前往萨格勒布，搭乘飞机返回家乡。

在他搭乘飞机前两天，该国发生里氏 5.4 级地震，导致建筑物倒塌，一名青少年丧生。

由于大雪封路，高速公路封闭，罗不得不绕远路去机场，这让他的妈妈彻夜难眠。

她说：“我很想念他，但爱可以用不同的方式表达。”

“这条路并不好走，但他有勇气和坚韧的意志力去做这件事，并且想把它做好，这很鼓舞人心，因为他从不走捷径。”

罗志祥将第四次参加亚运会，在日本这个武士之乡卫冕冠军。武士们秉持着诚实等美德，这与他的人生历程不谋而合。

二十多年来，这位卫冕 ILCA 7 亚运会冠军的坚定奉献和不懈努力取得了成功。

在 2025 年男子 ILCA 7 世界锦标赛上，他获得了第 14 名，这是当时新加坡帆船运动员取得的最好成绩，而他在 8 月份于爱尔兰举行的最近一届比赛中获得第七名后，超越了这个成绩。

现在，他很享受这项运动，也很珍惜帮助下一代的机会。

他说：“我知道这肯定是我职业生涯的尾声，所以每一次航行和比赛的机会都非常珍贵。”

“对我来说，就是努力表现，回报大家多年来对我的信任。”

告别校园：从小，罗瑞安就知道帆船运动永远是他生活中最重要的事。这一点在他决定在A-level考试之初离开莱佛士书院时就显而易见，而那一年也恰好是他开始参加奥运激光级帆船比赛的第一年。

在欧洲旅行和比赛：帆船运动持续影响着罗志祥的许多选择。完成兵役后，他推迟了三年上大学，备战东京奥运会，以此作为通往2024年巴黎奥运会的跳板。

展望未来：在将帆船运动放在首位十年后，他开始思考精英体育之外的人生。巴黎奥运会后，他重返校园，在詹姆斯库克大学完成了国际商务学位，同时继续兼职教练工作。