SINGAPORE, June 6 — She has been the poster girl of waterskiing and wakeboarding since bursting onto the international stage as a precocious 11-year-old prodigy in 2004.

Now 22, Sasha Christian, whose long list of achievements over the years include winning gold at the 2011 SEA Games in women’s wakeboarding, is ready to share her spot in the limelight with someone else: her up-and-coming team-mate, Mark Leong.

The duo are part of a nine-strong Singapore team that will vie for glory in 11 waterski and wakeboard events at the 2015 SEA Games, with the Singapore Waterski & Wakeboard Federation having set the team a target of winning a record four gold medals.

Singapore’s best-ever medal haul came during the 1997 Jakarta Games when they won three gold, one silver and two bronze.

And it is little surprise that the burden of meeting this ambitious target falls largely on the shoulders of Christian, who will be competing in the women’s slalom, wakeboard and team events, and is expected to clinch at least two gold medals.

The Singapore Sports School graduate admits to feeling the pressure, but insists it will not affect her.

“It’s important to remain focused when you’re out there on the water,” said Christian. “It’s what I always tell the rest of my team-mates as well — don’t be worried by what’s going on around you, and don’t get affected by the small things.

“I do feel the pressure ahead of the SEA Games because I want to do well. But thankfully, preparations have been good so far. I’ve been doing a more progressive training regime that won’t burn me out too early so I’ll be completely ready when the competition finally comes around.”

Having seen the dedication of her younger team-mates during training, Christian also believes several of them can go on to do greater things in the sport.

“Most of them may be young, but they’re really driven,” she said.

“What I like about them is that they know exactly what it takes to become one of the best, and they’re working hard towards it. This SEA Games will be a tough test for them because our rivals are all training really hard, and everyone will put up a good show.”

One such burgeoning talent in the team is Leong. In a show of his commitment and passion for the sport, the 17-year-old opted to take a gap year on his studies to focus on his training. Leong, who will be competing in the men’s trick, jump and slalom events in his SEA Games debut, is another gold-medal contender for Singapore.

The 1.86m-tall waterskier set a new national record — rounding three buoys on a 12m rope — as he beat 2011 SEA Games medallists Fath Daud Wangka and Indra Hardinata to win the men’s slalom final at the Indonesia Open in March.

It all points to a bright future in the sport for Leong, who hopes to one day be able to emulate Christian and become a full-time athlete. To that end, the former Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road) student is keen to use the SEA Games to showcase his potential.

“Being a full-time athlete, that’s always the dream,” said Leong.

“Looking at Sasha’s life now, it’s so different from everyone else because she’s always out there on the water and in the sun doing the thing she loves, and that’s what I want to do in future if possible.

“It’s definitely a goal that is within reach, but I’ll need to put in a lot of hard work and do the right things in order to get there.

"So, I’m hoping to do well at the SEA Games because it is a good platform for me to get the attention of people from around the region.” — TODAY