He turns 50 next July but Singaporean track and field athlete Umaglia Kancanangai Shyam Dhuleep does not look much older than he did in 2001. That was when he broke the nation’s 33-year record for the 100-metre sprint, to finish in 10.37 seconds at the World University Games in Beijing, China.
UK Shyam, or Shyam as he is more commonly known, continues to inspire. After retiring from sprinting in 2005, he built a life around encouraging others to excel.
He works in education, teaching subjects required for university admissions such as philosophy and critical thinking, and is engaged in leadership development and public speaking.
In 2023, Marc Brian Louis broke his 100m record by 0.1 seconds. Shyam experienced a mix of feelings as he watched live as a TV studio guest.
On the one hand, he was “happy that it was finally broken”, he says.