Interview with Tim Loh Yu, Singaporean Wrestler

Tim Loh Yu looks too nice to be Singapore’s best Greco-Roman wrestler. If you saw him outside the gym, you’d never guess he was one of Asia’s strongest men. Mr. Loh will compete in this month’s SE Asian Wrestling Championships, where he is expected to medal.

Question: How did you get into Greco-Roman wrestling?

Answer: My coaches at the dojo. I started doing judo around 2008 and tried sambo. At some point, my coaches introduced me to wrestling.

Q: Did anyone in your family wrestle?

A: No, just me. Greco-Roman wrestling felt like a natural progression after judo and other sports involving throws.

Q: As one of Singapore’s best international athletes, did you receive special treatment from teachers and others while training?

A: Quite the opposite. They don’t care that I’m an athlete. II dropped out of college in 2015. [Editor’s Note: in Singapore, colleges and universities are not synonymous, and a separate vocational track is available. Students attend two/three years of college and receive diplomas before enrolling in universities. Once at university, a student’s choice of major determines the remaining number of years left for a degree.]

After I dropped out, I received an athletic scholarship from the IOC [International Olympic Committee] to study "sports coaching." The IOC awards scholarships every year, and Singapore had an open spot for judo. Before me, Gabriel Huang [a fellow Singaporean wrestler and coach] also received the scholarship. I met coaches from Asia and Africa, and we trained and taught all day. I ended up earning a diploma from the IOC in “sports coaching.”

Q: What else do you like to do besides judo and wrestling?

A: I cook. I’m a chef, actually. I do pop-up events and work for a group of bars. [Editor’s Note: in Loh’s Singaporean accent, “bars” is pronounced “bahz.”] Every month, we do an event, and the theme always changes. I used to run operations, but now I focus more on training and coaching.

Q: When did you start cooking?

A: It was always my part-time job. I’ve always been in the kitchen or behind the bar, whether in high school, judo, college… I was always working on the weekends.

Q: What’s your favorite dish to cook?

A: Oh, man… [Loh’s brain appears to be processing too many items to choose just one, so I move on to another question.]

Q: What’s your favorite thing to eat?

A: I love the process of fermentation. I like funk [e.g., smelly tofu]. I think there’s so much science behind fermentation. Anything that requires aging is shiok, especially cheese.

Q: What kind of cheeses do you like?

A: Oh wow… I love Taleggio, Comté… I generally enjoy cheese. People who open my fridge sometimes tell me something smells bad, but I tell them that’s just my cheese.

Q: Who’s your favorite wrestler?

A: [Loh does not hesitate.] Aleksandr Karelin. It’s his mindset. He once said his favorite part of a match is when he’s defeated his opponent, dominated his opponent’s will, and come out on top. When I first heard that, I was just like, “Wow.” I wanted to do that. In his prime, no one could beat Aleksandr.

Q: Do you like any freestyle wrestlers?

A: Not really. There’s no one as dominant as Aleksandr, he’s just next level.

Q: What does it mean to you to wear the Singaporean flag on your wrestling singlet?

A: [Loh pauses before answering.] Everything, actually. I’m so grateful for the opportunities I’ve had over the years. Without wrestling, I wouldn’t be able to travel, to see the world, you know? Also, at the level we’re training, it really builds your character. Life is tough, but sh*t, training is a lot tougher. Nothing is going to beat me up harder than training. It’s built up my resilience, and it’s made me hungry. I want to do a lot of things, even with my food as a chef. I want to be the best. I’m proud to represent Singapore, and I’ve never looked back. There’s never going to be a time when I feel I don’t want to compete.

© Matthew Mehdi Rafat (December 2022)

“Once you've wrestled, everything else in life is easy.” -- Dan Gable (USA)

Update: Loh had very tough opening matches and did not medal. Both his opponents earned medals. In 2023, Loh earned two medals—including Singapore’s first wrestling gold—at the SEA Games.

Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity. It is not a verbatim transcript.