The Champion (drama)
Encyclopedia
The Champion is an idol drama produced by Mediacorp
in Singapore
. It was telecast from October 20, 2004 to November 16, 2004. The show stars Taiwanese
idol Toro, Yan Xingshu, Qi Yuwu
, Julian Hee
, Jeanette Aw
, Felicia Chin
, Fiona Xie
and Joyce Zhao, all young actors and actresses. This show also marked Jesseca Liu
's acting debut.
It received one of the highest viewership rate during the telecast of the show, especially since there were a few semi-nude scenes such as Qi Yuwu stripping on-screen and Fiona Xie and other members of the Flying Fish running down Orchard Road in their bikinis.
This was also the first drama which allowed viewers to vote via a SMS competition on Nov 16 2004 for the viewers' favourite 2-minute short ending which was aired on Nov 17 2004 at 8.58 pm just before the debut of the next drama My Mighty In-Laws.
), and its constituent members. The team is locked in a vicious competition with the Seagulls swimming team (海鸥队), whose superior swimming abilities bred an intense arrogance that shows everywhere within the swimming complex they practice in.
After the Flying Fish lost a bet with the Seagulls, which resulted in the Flying Fish team running down Orchard Road
wearing only bikinis, the team's manager hired a new swimming coach to rescue the team from the brink of dissolution. The coach, Ivan Jackson (also known as Wu Zhenkang), was very strict about the rigorous training, and this drew massive opposition at first, and earned him the title of "Polar Bear" (cold, uncaring, and "foreign"). However, the team's performance eventually improved, thanks to the training.
Another subplot, developed later on in the series, was between Lu Kaixin and He Yilin. They were both in love with Xie Jiajun, and this resulted in Yilin, who believed she was superior in all aspects to Kaixin, to lace Kaixin's water with steroids during a swimming competition. This cost Kaixin her gold medal, and put the team in jeopardy. Another contributing factor was the fact that Kaixin's older brother Kaiwei had broken up with Yilin's older sister Yixuan. Yilin later defected to the Seagulls to try to defeat Kaixin, but Kaixin defeated Yilin in a swimming duel, and Yilin was subsequently kicked off the Seagulls for the Steroid scandal, in addition to her poor attitude towards the coach of the team, and an incident where Yilin allegedly posted defamatory posters inside the Swimming Complex against the Flying Fish. Completely defeated (and disgraced by the Seagulls), Yilin gave up on her quest for superiority, and allowed Kaixin to have Jiajun. The Flying Fish members eventually forgived Yilin.
MediaCorp
Media Corporation of Singapore, better known as MediaCorp, is a group of commercial media companies in Singapore, with business interests in television and radio broadcasting, interactive media, and, to a lesser extent, print publishing and film-making....
in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. It was telecast from October 20, 2004 to November 16, 2004. The show stars Taiwanese
Taiwanese people
Taiwanese people may refer to individuals who either claim or are imputed cultural identity focused on the island of Taiwan and/or Taiwan Area which have been governed by the Republic of China since 1945...
idol Toro, Yan Xingshu, Qi Yuwu
Qi Yuwu
Qi Yuwu is a China-born Singapore film and television actor. Qi is a permanent resident of Singapore and a contracted artiste under Singapore's MediaCorp Studios.-Biography:...
, Julian Hee
Julian Hee
Julian Hee is a Chinese actor-model from Singapore.Julian won Mr. Manhunt Singapore in 2002 and represented Singapore in Manhunt International 2002 held in Shanghai. He was a semi-finalist in Mr World 2003 held in London....
, Jeanette Aw
Jeanette Aw
-1979–2000: Early life and education:Born Jeanette Aw Ee-Ping to Chinese parents. Her father has Peranakan ancestry while mother is a Hokkien. Jeanette is the youngest of three children, she has an older sister and older brother...
, Felicia Chin
Felicia Chin
Felicia Chin Foon Ling , also known by her Chinese stage name Chen Jingxuan, is a Singaporean television actress.-Biography:...
, Fiona Xie
Fiona Xie
-Career:Xie was spotted by a talent scout at the age of fifteen while was studying in St. Hilda's Secondary School. She modeled for numerous print and television commercials in Singapore and Hong Kong before joining MediaCorp Studios as a full-time artiste in 2001....
and Joyce Zhao, all young actors and actresses. This show also marked Jesseca Liu
Jesseca Liu
Jesseca Liu Zhi Xuan is a Malaysian actress and model working in Singapore.-Early life:Jesseca Liu was born in Langkawi, Malaysia. She began modeling after graduating from Saito Academy in 2001. Languages often spoken by Liu are Cantonese, Mandarin, English and Bahasa Melayu. First known as Lao...
's acting debut.
It received one of the highest viewership rate during the telecast of the show, especially since there were a few semi-nude scenes such as Qi Yuwu stripping on-screen and Fiona Xie and other members of the Flying Fish running down Orchard Road in their bikinis.
This was also the first drama which allowed viewers to vote via a SMS competition on Nov 16 2004 for the viewers' favourite 2-minute short ending which was aired on Nov 17 2004 at 8.58 pm just before the debut of the next drama My Mighty In-Laws.
Plot
The series mainly dealt with the trials and travails of a Singaporean swimming team, the Flying Fish (飞鱼队, which could be a reference to a classic Singaporean drama that also deals with swimming, Flying FishFlying Fish (TV series)
Flying Fish is an 8-episode Singaporean television drama series produced by Singapore Broadcasting Corporation in 1983. It revolves around the travails of an aspiring teenage swimmer.-Cast:...
), and its constituent members. The team is locked in a vicious competition with the Seagulls swimming team (海鸥队), whose superior swimming abilities bred an intense arrogance that shows everywhere within the swimming complex they practice in.
After the Flying Fish lost a bet with the Seagulls, which resulted in the Flying Fish team running down Orchard Road
Orchard Road
Orchard Road is a road in Singapore that is the retail and entertainment hub of the city-state. It is regularly frequented by the local population as well as being a major tourist attraction...
wearing only bikinis, the team's manager hired a new swimming coach to rescue the team from the brink of dissolution. The coach, Ivan Jackson (also known as Wu Zhenkang), was very strict about the rigorous training, and this drew massive opposition at first, and earned him the title of "Polar Bear" (cold, uncaring, and "foreign"). However, the team's performance eventually improved, thanks to the training.
Subplots
The main subplot revolved around Guo Jingwen. Her constant tardiness earned her the dubious title of "Tardy Queen" (迟到Queen). The new coach, at first, kicked her off the team because of this, but what the coach did not know was Jingwen came from a dysfunctional and poor family, where the father works low-pay jobs to feed his two daughters and son. Jingwen's younger sister was paralyzed during a childhood illness, and uses a wheelchair for mobility. Jingwen's brother is a rebellious teenager, whose antics with his hooligan friends have drawn the ire of his father. Meanwhile, Jingwen works as a swimming coach to bring extra income to the cash-strapped family. Once the coach learned about this, he relaxed his strict rules on timeliness for Jingwen. The close relationship Zhenkang had with Jingwen almost cost Zhenkang his wife. Later on, Lu Kaiwei falls for Jingwen, after being dumped by his girlfriend He Yixuan.Another subplot, developed later on in the series, was between Lu Kaixin and He Yilin. They were both in love with Xie Jiajun, and this resulted in Yilin, who believed she was superior in all aspects to Kaixin, to lace Kaixin's water with steroids during a swimming competition. This cost Kaixin her gold medal, and put the team in jeopardy. Another contributing factor was the fact that Kaixin's older brother Kaiwei had broken up with Yilin's older sister Yixuan. Yilin later defected to the Seagulls to try to defeat Kaixin, but Kaixin defeated Yilin in a swimming duel, and Yilin was subsequently kicked off the Seagulls for the Steroid scandal, in addition to her poor attitude towards the coach of the team, and an incident where Yilin allegedly posted defamatory posters inside the Swimming Complex against the Flying Fish. Completely defeated (and disgraced by the Seagulls), Yilin gave up on her quest for superiority, and allowed Kaixin to have Jiajun. The Flying Fish members eventually forgived Yilin.
Cast
- Qi Yuwu as Lu Kaiwei
- Jeanette Aw as Guo Jingwen
- Fiona Xie as Lu Kaixin
- Felicia Chin as Wang Tong
- Joyce Chao as He Yilin
- Toro as Xie Jiajun
- Yan Xingshu as Wu Zhenkang (also known as Ivan Jackson early on in the series, for unknown reasons)
- Jamie YeoJamie YeoJamie Yeo is a TV host, actress, radio deejay and model, known for co-hosting the ESPN/Star Sports Castrol Football Crazy and Maxis Football Extra television shows in Asia and portraying Tammy in the TV show Growing Up, arguably the role that made her famous.Yeo was born in Singapore on April 17,...
as Zhenkang's wife - Huai En as Guo Jinglong
- Jesseca Liu as He Yixuan
- Joey Ng as Tao Yan
- Rachel Lee, Caroline Cheong and Jacquline Chow as the other members of the Seagulls
- Moses LimMoses LimMoses Lim is a Singaporean actor, gourmet, entrepreuner, and comedian, best known for playing Tan Ah Teck in the Singaporean sitcom Under One Roof . Recently he played Eric Tan in the Singaporean film Just Follow Law...
as Lu Kaixin's Dad
See also
- Flying FishFlying Fish (TV series)Flying Fish is an 8-episode Singaporean television drama series produced by Singapore Broadcasting Corporation in 1983. It revolves around the travails of an aspiring teenage swimmer.-Cast:...
: a 1983 Singapore Broadcasting CorporationSingapore Broadcasting CorporationSingapore Broadcasting Corporation was a partially privatised mass market media conglomeration, which dominated the entire television and most of the radio broadcasting industry in Singapore during its existence...
TV series that also revolved around swimming and competition. - Splash to Victory, a 1989 Singapore Broadcasting Corporation series that revolved around two swimming sisters.