Thum Ping Tjin
Encyclopedia
Thum Ping Tjin better known as PJ, is the first Singapore
an to swim the English Channel
. He is also the first Oxford University graduate student to do so. He was a member of the Singapore national swimming team and has represented Singapore at every level, including the 1996 Summer Olympics
in Atlanta. He is a Rhodes Scholar and Commonwealth Scholar
.
s. At the age of 16, he went to Harvard University
. He graduated from Harvard in the year 2000 with a Bachelor's Degree in East Asian Studies. Thum has participated in the 1996 Summer Olympics
in Atlanta as a member of the Singapore national swimming team. That same year, he was awarded the Sportsboy of the Year award by the Singapore Sports Council
. As a Rhodes Scholar he attended Hertford College at the University of Oxford
, reading for a second Bachelor's degree in Modern History and Politics. At both institutions he was an integral part of the swimming program. He was Captain of the Oxford University Swimming Team and earned two Blues.
Thum retired in 2002 from representing his country but continued to represent the University of Oxford. His younger brother, Thum Bingming, is also a member of the Singapore national swimming team, as well as a Member of the Cornell University Men's Varsity swim team.
In early 2005, PJ was a teacher at Anglo-Chinese School (International)
in Singapore. This makes him the only person to have been a student or teacher at every single Anglo-Chinese School.
PJ later returned to Oxford on a Commonwealth Scholarship
, where he completed a DPhil in Modern History at Hertford College. From 2006 to 2007, he was also a Frewin Warden at Brasenose College.
PJ is currently one of the leaders of Project Southeast Asia, an initiative of the University of Oxford
to expand its range of scholarly expertise on Southeast Asia.
. PJ was trying to swim in August 2005, and he trained in Singapore throughout the year leading up to the event. In June 2005, he left for the United Kingdom
to train further. PJ plunged into the cold waters of the Channel on 6 August, a few days later than expected due to stormy conditions, as the weather looked calm. Things changed three hours later, the weather became worse but still PJ did not give up and continued. He successfully reached the coast of France
after 12 hours and 24 minutes - the first Singaporean to do so, and the first Oxford graduate as well.
On 3 August, the Methodist Schools Foundation organised an event called the COMCurrent Swim. Students and staff from the Methodist schools and the church swam at Farrer Park Swimming Pool in support of PJ.
After his swim, PJ returned to Singapore to great accolades and then returned to Oxford to continue his studies.
as is evidenced by the definitive website on Fred Astaire which he created and maintains. He also owns and maintains the Fred Astaire mailing list.
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...
an to swim the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
. He is also the first Oxford University graduate student to do so. He was a member of the Singapore national swimming team and has represented Singapore at every level, including the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
in Atlanta. He is a Rhodes Scholar and Commonwealth Scholar
Commonwealth Scholarship
The Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan is an international programme under which Commonwealth governments offer scholarships and fellowships to citizens of other Commonwealth countries.-History:...
.
Biography
PJ was born on December 17, 1979 in Singapore. he received his early education at five of the Anglo-Chinese SchoolAnglo-Chinese School
The Anglo-Chinese School ; is a family of Methodist schools in Singapore, and Indonesia.The name is usually abbreviated as "ACS", with the junior college as "ACJC", and its students and alumni referred to as "ACSians" , or "ACS boys" .ACS was the first school...
s. At the age of 16, he went to Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. He graduated from Harvard in the year 2000 with a Bachelor's Degree in East Asian Studies. Thum has participated in the 1996 Summer Olympics
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
in Atlanta as a member of the Singapore national swimming team. That same year, he was awarded the Sportsboy of the Year award by the Singapore Sports Council
Singapore Sports Council
The Singapore Sports Council is a statutory board under the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports of the Singapore Government...
. As a Rhodes Scholar he attended Hertford College at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, reading for a second Bachelor's degree in Modern History and Politics. At both institutions he was an integral part of the swimming program. He was Captain of the Oxford University Swimming Team and earned two Blues.
Thum retired in 2002 from representing his country but continued to represent the University of Oxford. His younger brother, Thum Bingming, is also a member of the Singapore national swimming team, as well as a Member of the Cornell University Men's Varsity swim team.
In early 2005, PJ was a teacher at Anglo-Chinese School (International)
Anglo-Chinese School (International)
Anglo-Chinese School , Singapore is a Methodist private school, owned by the Methodist Church in Singapore. Students take a 6-year course, with the IGCSE in the fourth year and the International Baccalaureate in the sixth year. Before 2007, students took the International A-Levels...
in Singapore. This makes him the only person to have been a student or teacher at every single Anglo-Chinese School.
PJ later returned to Oxford on a Commonwealth Scholarship
Commonwealth Scholarship
The Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan is an international programme under which Commonwealth governments offer scholarships and fellowships to citizens of other Commonwealth countries.-History:...
, where he completed a DPhil in Modern History at Hertford College. From 2006 to 2007, he was also a Frewin Warden at Brasenose College.
PJ is currently one of the leaders of Project Southeast Asia, an initiative of the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
to expand its range of scholarly expertise on Southeast Asia.
Channel Swim
In July 2004, PJ decided to swim the channel after successfully participating in the 2004 Cross-Channel Varsity MatchVarsity match
A varsity match is a sporting fixture between two university rivals; in its original and most common form, it is used to describe meetings between Oxford University and Cambridge University.-Popular British and Irish Varsity matches:*University of Oxford v...
. PJ was trying to swim in August 2005, and he trained in Singapore throughout the year leading up to the event. In June 2005, he left for the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to train further. PJ plunged into the cold waters of the Channel on 6 August, a few days later than expected due to stormy conditions, as the weather looked calm. Things changed three hours later, the weather became worse but still PJ did not give up and continued. He successfully reached the coast of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
after 12 hours and 24 minutes - the first Singaporean to do so, and the first Oxford graduate as well.
On 3 August, the Methodist Schools Foundation organised an event called the COMCurrent Swim. Students and staff from the Methodist schools and the church swam at Farrer Park Swimming Pool in support of PJ.
After his swim, PJ returned to Singapore to great accolades and then returned to Oxford to continue his studies.
Miscellaneous
PJ is a fan and expert on the life of Fred AstaireFred Astaire
Fred Astaire was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. His stage and subsequent film career spanned a total of 76 years, during which he made 31 musical films. He was named the fifth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute...
as is evidenced by the definitive website on Fred Astaire which he created and maintains. He also owns and maintains the Fred Astaire mailing list.