Puchong, Thursday, 9th January 2020 - Ethan Oey Jen-Zen has made Taylor’s International School Puchong proud by being one of two Malaysians chosen to participate in the recent Spartan Kids World Championship at Castaic, California, America on the 7th of December 2019. Over 100 participants from different countries participated in the championship. To qualify for this race, Ethan participated in 3 competitive Spartan races in Malaysia and achieved a podium standing in each race.

The race which took him 36 minutes and 21 seconds to complete was a test to both his endurance and stamina. The 3,200-meter race includes obstacles such as Spear Throw, Mud Crawl, Rope Climb, and Hercules Hoist. One of the main challenges he faced during this championship was the winter weather and the terrain. Ethan added that “it was a bit difficult for me to adjust to the weather during the competition as I was more familiar racing in the heat in Malaysia.”

Ethan discovered his love for Spartan Race competition after participating in his first race at the age of 11 and winning a medal. “It was fun and challenging to go through the course. It provided me an opportunity to meet new people and make new friends from various parts of the world,” said Ethan. Since then, he has participated in at least 3 races every year. To prepare for the race, Ethan trained every weekend with the national triathlon team for at least 5 hours a day. Training includes running, wall climbing as well as upper core body training.

Balancing out between sports and studies was made easy with the support of his teachers at Taylor’s International School Puchong, family, and friends. During his competition seasons, he received extra help from his teachers to ensure that his lessons are caught up. In school, Ethan is an active student who participated not only in sports but also in performing arts. He has been involved in 3 major school musicals and is part of the school's dance team participating in various dance competitions.

Participating in the world championship has been an eye-opening experience for Ethan. At the event, he was able to meet many experienced runners from different countries and learn from their experiences in this race. For Ethan who loves challenges, his goal would be to achieve the top 3 positions in future world championships.