Sailing/Beijing Olympics: Love of sport keeps Kevin going

Kevin is one of 10 sailors to book his Olympic ticket to complete the fleet of 40 sailors.

HIS love for the sport was the only thing that kept Kevin Lim going after he was cast adrift by the National Sports Council (NSC) and left to fend for his own.

There is nothing that the 32-year-old Melbourne-based sailor likes more than a challenge and his reward is to become Malaysia's first four-time Olympian after qualifying through the World Laser Championships in Terrigal, Australia on Wednesday.

Kevin's latest achievement went some way to atoning for his disastrous 2006 Asian Games debut when he was heavily favoured to win gold but finished with nothing after a false start and a disqualification in the first two races of the laser event ended his medal hopes on the first day itself.

He was subsequently denied further funding by the NSC who challenged him to proof himself again.

But now that Selangor-born Kevin has booked his berth for a fourth consecutive Olympic appearance, he can be assured that he will receive all the assistance that he needs.
"This will be my fourth Olympics after Atlanta, Sydney and Athens.

"It feels good to get over this hurdle, more so because all the other sailors have improved leaps and bounds while I was busy working for the past year.

"I was quite glad to actually make it through after only three months of training. It was a gruelling event that lasted a week but I sailed well enough to qualify for the Olympics," said Kevin, a doctor by profession, in an e-mail to Timesport yesterday.

Kevin, who saw his ranking progressively decline after Doha from 42 to 96 last October before improving to his current 67, finished 15th in the silver fleet to become one of 10 sailors to book their Olympic tickets through the championships, to complete the Olympic fleet of 40 sailors.

Despite being cut loose by the NSC, Kevin relied on his own income and the International Olympic Council's 2008 Olympic Solidarity scholarship to fund his preparations.

"Fortunately for me, the higher standard of living in Australia allows me to indulge in a little bit of sailing. I have not received anything since the Asian Games, I do as much as I can with whatever money I can spare.

"But I sail only because I love the sport," added Kevin, who finished 38th in his Olympic debut in Atlanta in 1996.

He achieved his best Olympic result in 2000 in Sydney with a 22nd-place finish and came home 24th in Athens four years later.

NST