SINGAPORE — A former Olympian is planning a comeback to the Olympics 56 years later, this time in a different sport.

Mr Michael Eu, who participated as a swimmer at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics at the age of 18, has been surfing for the past 53 years. The 73-year-old is now aiming for another shot at Olympic glory at the upcoming Olympic Games in Tokyo next year, which has introduced surfing as a category for the first time.

Mr Eu, who has been swimming since he was 10, participated in the 200m backstroke event at the 1964 Olympics under the Malaysian flag. At that time, Singapore was still part of Malaysia. Mr Eu, who is a Singapore citizen, finished seventh in the heats for his event that year.

Speaking with TODAY over the phone from his home in Penang, Malaysia, Mr Eu said that his Olympic experience led to him excelling in regional swimming competitions.

“The confidence grew in me after being exposed to such a big swim meet. I felt stronger and mentally more capable.”

He went on to sweep three gold medals for Singapore, which by then had separated from Malaysia, at the 1965 Southeast Asian Peninsular Games in Kuala Lumpur. He also clinched a bronze medal at the Asian Games in Bangkok in 1966.

THE FIRST SURF

Yet, as with all swimming careers, his eventually came to a close. Mr Eu found himself embarking on his next journey as a flight captain with Malaysia-Singapore Airlines, the precursor to Singapore Airlines (SIA).

It was during his first year of pilot training in Australia when Mr Eu, then aged 20, had his first taste of surfing.

“I was sitting at Bells Beach during one of my days off, and I was watching these Australian guys surf. It looked like fun so I borrowed somebody’s surfboard and tried it.”

He told TODAY that he was “bitten by the bug on the first try”.

“It was this feeling of high, feeling of thrill and enjoyment at the ability of being able to control a surfboard on the wave that kept me going.”

Mr Eu eventually got his own longboard – a three-metre-long surfboard – and learnt to surf on his own in Australia.

Over the course of his 35-year flying career, Mr Eu went on to ride waves as high as six metres at the “surfing Mecca” of Hawaii. He also went against “hardcore surfers” at the Indonesian surfer haven of Nias, eventually setting up a home there so that he could surf regularly.

RETIRED PILOT, FULL-TIME SURFER

At the age of 55, Mr Eu decided it was time to call it quits with SIA and dedicate his remaining time to the waves.

He set up base in Penang and began shuttling frequently to Nias to surf. He soon realised that he was capable of surfing competitively, riding waves as high as three metres and going against surfers of other nationalities.

“When you catch the wave, you are competing to ride the wave. You have to fight with others to catch that one wave. It’s just like a surfing contest.”

It was during one of his surfing sojourns to Nias in 1999 where Mr Eu met Mr Md Nazir Salleh, another Singaporean surfer.

Mr Nazir, who went on to set up the Surfing Association  Singapore (SAS) in 2011, recalled watching Mr Eu surf for the first time.

“I still remember he was surfing on 8 to 10ft (2.4m to 3m) waves at Nias. I was like, wow – look at this guy taking off on a peak wave on a peak day!”

SURFING COMPETITIVELY

Mr Nazir, now 48, introduced Mr Eu to other budding surfers in Singapore, and the latter helped the SAS raise its profile within the sporting community by tapping on his connections at the Singapore National Olympic Council.

Little did the local surfing community, including Mr Eu, realise that soon, the opportunity to surf competitively would present itself to them.

In 2016, the International Olympic Committee announced that surfing would make its debut at the upcoming Olympic Games.

The chance to make history by participating in another Olympics in the same city after 53 years tempted Mr Eu, who up till then had only been surfing for fun.

“I have been surfing for 50 years, and I think I can do it. So I said, let’s put this (training) into higher gear.”

But first, Mr Eu has his sights set on a more immediate goal — the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games to be held in the Philippines this December.

He is currently one of seven local surfers vying for five spots at the biennial SEA Games. Selection for the Singapore surfing contingent is based on the surfers’ performances at various international surf contests which will determine their international ranking.

Having braved the big waves over the last five decades, Mr Eu is confident of his chances at qualifying for the games despite his advanced years. Surfing is very much a niche sport in Singapore, and Mr Eu is probably the only surfer spending all his time on the sport.

“All the competitions are held in medium-sized waves which are about 4ft. I’ve been competing in waves up to 10ft in Indonesia for the last 27 years, and I’ve been training consistently.

“So long as you have the skill and determination, anyone can do it.”

It is clear that Mr Eu will not settle for anything less than a medal. “I want to finish first, second or third. No such thing as fourth. If I can keep my pace and intensity, I can excel.”

And of course, one has to address the elephant in the room. At 73, is age a barrier for Mr Eu?

“Being 73 is not an obstacle to me. I don’t look 73 and my physique is conditioned in the same way as a 30 or 40-year-old,” said the surfer, who holds a black belt in karate and taekwondo, and casually sports a six-pack ab.

He added that rather, it was his life experiences and his previous stint at the Olympics that lent him greater confidence to perform at competitions.

For Mr Nazir, Mr Eu’s dedication to the sport even at the age of 73 had already left a legacy.

“At his age right now, you need to have the guts to go on waves as high as 10ft,” said Mr Nazir. “Till today, he is surfing in Nias regularly, which is known for having fearsome waves that could drown you easily.”

“Michael (Eu) has really cemented his reputation. He’s a true Singapore surfing legend.”