Do you know who this guy is? He’s Quah Zheng Wen. Yeah, and just like most publications (i.e. The New Paper), I have to use a nice picture just to clickbait you into reading this, because TNP has decided to drag a national athlete through the mud just because he refused to answer the media after he failed to qualify.
Read this article for more understanding: http://www.tnp.sg/…/team-sin…/leonard-thomas-speak-zheng-wen
“It was extraordinary, after he snubbed us following his swim in the 100m backstroke, where he fared badly in his first event of these Games.”
Why are all these journalists talking about how it is a “character flaw” that Zheng Wen refused to talk to them after he didn’t make it?
Why are these reporters feeling entitled for a response from a tired, disappointed athlete?
Do you know how hard he must’ve trained to even qualified to be at#Rio2016? Most Singaporean athletes have to fund their own way there.
He worked his ass off, and the moment he has a bad day, all these journalists start to say shit about him.
Zheng Wen might have a body of an Adonis and a smile of a heartthrob but deep down, he’s still a kid who wants to make his country proud. The reality is, he didn’t make it. And instead of showing compassion, and understanding of his disappointment, Singaporean journalists tear him a new asshole.
This is why we don’t have many local athletes, musicians, artists, actors, directors. Singaporeans are fucking quick to put each other down the moment someone says, “I don’t want to talk about it.” So much for kampung spirit. More like “kaypoh spirit”. These journalists sound like your annoying aunt when she asks you, “got girlfriend or not?”
He lost. He is disappointed, tired & frustrated. Last thing he wants to do is to face vulture journalists who want nothing than to write clickbaity articles – and they’ve already done that: A FULL PAGE ON THE NEW PAPER.
Do you guys know how hard it is to work towards being at #Rio2016? I sure don’t. These journalists sure don’t. So who are we to judge?
On behalf of Quah Zheng Wen, who represent our nation, and was vilified by local Journalists, here’s a big FUCK OFF.
To Quah Zheng Wen, I’m sorry that our journalists are horrible to you. But the rest of the Singaporeans and I, are glad you represented us.
To put it into perspective, these “journalists” are assassinating the character of a 19-year-old national hero.
And you know what? Even IF (I emphasise, IF) Zheng Wen is an asshole, and might not be as gracious as you, dragging him through the mud after what he did doesn’t make you that gracious either.
// EDIT: Let me just add this. It wasn’t very wise for him to just walk off after saying “hi guys”. It isn’t very professional. But for a 19-year-old to know the PR procedures isn’t really his responsibility or it might not be his strongest suit.
Most 19-year-olds are full of themselves. I sure know I was, but think of it this way. He lost. He panicked. He knew what to do was right. Say hello, and get out before his emotions take over. That to me, in some extent, shows not maturity, exactly, but rather, “ah fuck must I really be here? i hope I don’t say anything stupid,” kind of maturity.
Because a sad boy, can also say very mean and hurtful things, and I rather he stay quiet and not say anything that might hurt his reputation even more. He probably has a million fucking (used as an emphasis, not a curse word) things running through his head. “How am I gonna explain this to Singapore?” “What am I gonna do?” “Can I still catch that Gyrados I saw at the Olympic Village?” “Must I really say something? Screw it.”
“HI GUYS!” he exclaimed.
That to me, is a boy, preventing himself from crying in front of the entire world.
For TNP, its journalists and editors to portray him in such a negative light, is not fair.
Source: Zulkarnain Sadali
