FINAL SG50 Book

His big break came when Avtar took part in the Khalsa
Sports Meet to mark the opening of the Singapore
Khalsa Association (SKA) in 1962. The Association
had then moved from its premises at Whampoa to
Jalan Bahagia. 4 He came in first in the race and was
approached to ascertain if he would be willing to
train with the national coach, Mr Tan Eng Yoon. As he
explained this episode during the interview, the glint in
his eyes reflected that he relished the opportunity to
be groomed by the very best in Singapore. Avtar never
looked back as he grabbed the proverbial bull by its
horns and went on to ace the local tracks. His love for
running became a national pursuit.
of whom had a shop outside the base. He also walked
to school in the mornings. For a young boy, running
errands and playing with friends was a common thing.
However, all of these activities, explained Avtar, helped
build his stamina. 3
Avtar did not, however, begin running competitively until
he was in secondary school. When he did, he was quick
to make his mark, coming in second in the combined
schools cross-country race in 1961 and also winning a
track race at the combined schools level. After his ‘O’
level examinations, Avtar joined the Customs and Excise
Department as a clerk to seek an income. However, he
did not give up his athletic pursuits and ran at the Farrer
Park football fields in the evenings after work. He was
committed to and passionate about running.
During this time, Avtar also made a more permanent
career decision as he applied for the teaching service in
1962 and underwent training to be posted to Towner
Primary School. This move was a boon for Avtar for two
reasons. Firstly, primary schools operated two sessions
and this allowed Avtar to tend to teaching during the
day and focus on his athletic training sessions in the
evening. Secondly, Avtar explained, during those times,
all teachers were also assigned Physical Education classes
in schools. Being a national runner, this responsibility
was a walk in the park for him and allowed him to also
keep fit while at work. 5
Throughout his track career, Avtar’s biggest motivation
was to continue to do better and break records, both of
which he amply did. He quipped: “The running also kept
me fitter and it was not about winning medals. They
were an added bonus but they were not my primary
motivation for running.” 6
In 1963, Avtar surprised the athletics fraternity in
Singapore when he clocked a time of 11 minutes and
39 seconds to beat a field of 64 runners to win the Swift
Athletics Association’s two-and-a-quarter mile race. The
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