SINGAPORE — When 19-year-old Mary Klass got home victorious from the 1953 Coronation Meet organised by the Eurasian clubs at the Padang, her father's first words to her were: "Why did you have to get involved in sports?".

"Although he didn't say it, I suppose in his mind he was probably asking — Of all things, why did she pick sports?" recounted Madam Klass, who is 83 this year.

The fifth child among seven — six girls and one boy — her designated role was to be the "house girl". She had to take care of all the household chores, look after her siblings, and care for her chronically-ill mother.

But despite her father's objections, Mdm Klass went on to become Singapore's second female Olympian. At 21, she represented the Republic in the 100m sprint in the 1956 Melbourne Games.

Although she did not clinch a medal, the story of how she persevered despite all odds is one of five to be showcased in a 10-minute film at this year's National Day Parade (NDP).

The film, which will be interspersed throughout the 58-min NDP show segment, aims to weave together a tapestry of five real-life Singapore stories to inspire the current generation to chase their dreams.

Mr Boo Junfeng, creative director of this year's parade, said that there was a "timelessness" to the human stories that will still resonate with Singaporeans today.

Giving Mdm Klass' story as an example, Mr Boo said: "It was no easy feat, especially for a woman in her time to become an athlete … With the opposition she faced from her father when she wanted to become an athlete, these are stories that are still happening today with anyone who has ambition but is facing obstacles."

A Eurasian of Dutch and Portuguese descent, Mdm Klass began running at 19, out of a desire to "get out of the house". She said: "I've always had a desire to be with people, (but) I (was) always cooped up in the house!"

More than that, she wanted to prove that she was not "just a house girl".

Despite the demands at home, she found time to train twice a day. She woke up at 5.30am to hit the tracks, before a second bout of training at 5.30pm.

"I was self-trained, and I used to go to the Raffles Institution, where I would train with the boys," said Mdm Klass.

Not only did she not have family support, she also did not receive the financial support that national athletes now receive. "Those days, we are not provided with anything, I went to (the) Asian games and Melbourne without a single cent," she said.

Such hurdles did not stand in her way, as she went on to smash records at the 1955 Malayan Championships held in Ipoh with a timing of 11.5 seconds in the 100 yard race. She then went on to the Melbourne Olympics in 1956, where she set a Malayan record of 26.3 seconds in the 200m heats.

The year after, she won the 1957 Malayan Championships, beating her previous record to come in at 11.2 seconds.

Her late mother, who was stricken with tuberculosis, was her inspiration. "She suffered 17 years with one lung, looking at her, (seeing how) she can persevere through her sickness and not let her sickness get the better of her gave me all the confidence for what I wanted to do," said the octogenarian.

It also helped that her late husband Sandy de Souza — who died in 2008 — used to watch her train and attend her meets.

She got married to him, a man she describes as "just a boy-next-door", in June of 1959, about a year before she retired from competitive running. And a year later, in 1960, their eldest son was born.

She said: "He gave me lots of inspiration … He gave me more strength, more energy to compete." 

Mdm Klass went on to become a mother of four — two boys and two girls — but kept her sporting achievements from her children.

"I have never told them of my past. I encouraged them to get into sports, to keep fit but never to be serious," she said, adding that she wanted to spare them the trials and tribulations that she personally went through.

So it was not till last year after non-profit organisation Honour Singapore produced a video about Mdm Klass that her children saw — for the first time — the sporting prowess of their mother at her prime.

Her 57-year-old son, Mr Anselm de Souza, who works in marketing, said: "We were stunned. Pictures couldn't convey the actual impact of watching your mother run. We never knew our mother was such a champion."

On her role in the NDP this year, Mdm Klass said she feels proud that her story could inspire the younger generation — including her grandchildren.

"My two girls in Sydney … they are always telling stories about their grandmother," she said.

Asked to give advice to young Singapore athletes today, Mdm Klass said: "Don't do what I did, do better than me."