Stick Together, Motivate Each Other, Go Further

Lessons from the Champions – Darren Ong and Muhammad Jaris Goh


It all started when they were student-athletes at the Singapore Sports School in 2009. Boarding roommates and Bowling Academy mates Darren Ong Wei Siong and Muhammad Jaris Goh Ali Akbar Goh aspired and dreamt about lighting up the bowling alleys together in the future. “What if one day, both of us have to face each other in a final?” was the question both asked themselves multiple times back then.

Fast forward to 2023, that question came to light as they faced each other in the finals of the IBF World Bowling Championships in Kuwait. Darren emerged as the new Men’s Singles World Bowling Champion while Jaris was just a step behind him in second place. What a proud and momentous moment for them as they flew the Singapore flag high.

Darren and Jaris took time off their busy schedules to share their sporting journey with our student-athletes on 7 March 2023 during the Lessons from the Champions programme. Both bowling kingpins talked about how they motivated each other and shared their dreams frequently when they were student-athletes. Jaris shared that it was important to cheer for your teammates during practice and competition regardless of whether they were winning or losing, and how that support can get them to achieve more. Darren also shared that the time spent in Sports School helped to forge a strong camaraderie among the bowling national athletes and the strong relationship helps to ease the stress levels when they head into competitions.

We hope that Darren and Jaris’s sharing will inspire our student-athletes to motivate each other and achieve even more success in the future.