S’pore sailor Ryan Lo sets sights on Los Angeles Games for his third Olympics

SINGAPORE – Making split-second decisions is part and parcel of life at sea for sailors, who have to react quickly when winds shift and conditions change unexpectedly.

But not every decision calls for haste.

For national sailor Ryan Lo, figuring out what he wants for his future is something he has been mulling over since the 2024 Paris Olympics.

As he completed his second Olympic campaign, he questioned whether he had it in him to embark on another cycle and took a break from competitive sailing to explore other interests, including pursuing a degree in international business from James Cook University.

The pull of the sport proved to be too strong, however, and he was back competing a few months later, setting his sights on the 2026 Asian Games, a trajectory that turned out to be a “pleasant surprise”.

After October’s Asiad in Gamagori, Japan, where he placed fifth in the men’s ILCA 7, the 29-year-old found himself reflecting once again on his next steps.

This time, he came to a decision that he would continue sailing, with the goal of making it to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Lo said: “I could still enjoy this and this was all thanks to the people I had around me – all the way from the federation (Singapore Sailing) to the High Performance Sport Institute, family, friends, the closest people around me were the ones who gave me the energy to keep going.

“That was one of the reasons to continue towards LA.”

Another factor that influenced his decision was that he did not want to walk away from the sport with regrets, especially as he felt that he had been making gradual improvements throughout his career.

While he did not retain his title at the Asian Games, he was encouraged by how he performed at events like the ILCA 7 world championship in August.

At the Dun Laoghaire Harbour in Dublin, Ireland, Lo led the standings at one point, before eventually finishing seventh overall to register the best showing by a Singaporean at the event.

Noting that results are not the sole measure of his progress, he said: “It definitely helps to show to the people around who have supported my campaign that I’m improving, so I thought that I’m so privileged and fortunate to still be doing this at such a high level with all the support behind me.

“I definitely don’t want to look back 10, 20 years down the road and think, ‘What if I’d tried a bit more and tried for LA’.”

Still, it was not a straightforward decision to make, as he grappled with “inner conflicts”, one of which was the pressure to start working and find a “stable, corporate job” as he saw his peers moving on to different phases in life.

Having some time to himself after the Asian Games allowed him to reflect on what truly mattered to him and not rush into making a decision immediately after the continental showpiece.

Looking back on the Asiad, he said: “It was definitely tough with the way it turned out for me in terms of results but I knew which areas cost me quite a few points and what I can improve on.

“At first, I was definitely disappointed and naturally I would say sad, which is perfectly normal to feel those emotions especially after me and the people around me had put in quite a bit of effort to put the campaign together.

“That being said, we wouldn’t have changed a thing in the lead-up to the Asian Games – we had a great preparation and I was in good shape and sometimes things like that happen, things you cannot control and you can only learn from it and move on.”

He also noted that having the freedom to choose between pursuing his passion for sailing and exploring other paths was something that he did not want to take for granted.

Lo said: “It’s a privilege for me to be in this situation as I was able to make the choice, and not everyone is able to do that when you look at what is happening in the world, which is what I’m truly grateful for and feel very fortunate about, and that’s why I want to maximise the opportunity I’ve been given to make a difference hopefully in my life and those around me.”

With the first major Olympic qualifier – the Fortaleza 2027 World Sailing Championships in Brazil – just two months away, Lo will be heading back to training soon, travelling to Melbourne and then New Zealand to prepare for the regatta.

In Brazil, there will be 16 quota spots on offer for his ILCA 7 class.

As he looks to qualify for his third Olympics, Lo is eager to keep learning and growing.

He said: “What I know for sure now is that I want to just be a better version of myself each day and just keep moving forward and to continue to gain new experiences and learn and improve in sailing and life in general.

“I also want to upskill myself in other aspects in sailing as well, taking up some part-time studying courses. I’m looking forward to meeting new people and walk the path that I would like to see myself walking.”