Rower Saiyidah Aisyah is the first Singaporean rower to qualify for the Olympics. Her last claim to glory was in 2013 when she won gold at the SEA games. Her road to success had been a difficult one, initially having to bear her own training and living costs while living in Sydney, Australia, where her coach was based. Between the 2013 SEA Games and the Rio Olympics, her training was fraught with injury and downtimes. Her drive for success and limitless endurance has made her a hero in the Singapore sports scene.

This portrait of Aisyah is part of my current work-in-progress, in which I make portraits of sportspeople and martial artists who are passionate about what they do. The portraits of these rowers were taken immediately after a morning training session.