Understand that friends come and go,but for the precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young. – Everybody is Free by Baz Lurham
Yesterday we had a sending off celebration for Max who’s going to be leaving Loughborough after 6 years here. He’s moving on with his life to become a primary school teacher, something that he wanted for a long long time.
Max had been a training partner, a coach, a mentor and more importantly a great friend. He’s probably the one person I’ve spent the most time with here in the UK. All the winter training runs out in the cold, the big weights session and those painful 300s.
Sometimes I feel that it’s quite a waste, that he’s not staying on for just one year more to give himself a shot at the Olympics, because I do believe that he has the talent to get there. But I guess everybody has got to hang up their spikes someday and he decided it’s his time.
We got a good season training together, somehow our training styles and philosophy are quite similar. We both managed PBs this season and for Max he got selected for 3 out of the 5 International matches to either represent GB or England.
Well they say the only constant in life is change and sure enough it’s going to be something I have to deal with again.
Things are going to be massively different for me now Max’s gone, got to rework my training plan and find new training groups for the next season. Also for next week, it would be the first decathlon that I do without him competing alongside.
For everything that you’ve taught me, coached me and showed me as the way of a decathlete, thank you very much mate, couldn’t have done this without you.
All the best for the next chapter of your life ahead. =)
A Singaporean Decathlete 
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