PHEE Jinq En

General
BASED IN THE US
In 2020 she graduated with a bachelor's degree in business management and marketing from Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN, United States of America. She decided to stay in the country to focus on the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo but then returned to Malaysia due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She went back to the United States of America in November 2020. "I have been training and studying here for four years [speaking in 2020]. I am already compatible with the training programme here. There are almost 30 coaches with me and we have the same goal. To stay one more year ahead of the Olympic Games in Tokyo, I think is affordable. I have been asked many times about the results and some have been urging me to go home. But after a thorough discussion with my family and the Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia [ASUM] as well as the coaches, I decided that the best decision was to stay in the US." (Instagram profile, 21 Nov 2020; Sabah Aquatic Sports Association Facebook page, 14 Nov 2020; nst.com.my, 12 Jun 2020; stadiumastro.com, 16 May 2020; swimswam.com, 13 May 2020; hmetro.com.my, 16 Apr 2020)

MENTAL HEALTH
She fell into depression during her time swimming and studying in the United States of America and it took her two years to start seeking help. "I always find peace in being surrounded by water whenever other things in life don't work out. But when swimming doesn't work out the way I wanted it to, I always find my life crumbling down instantly, and never have I felt so helpless whenever that happens. These past four years [speaking in 2020] in college halfway across the world away from home and family was especially hard. Whenever I find myself falling short of my own expectations, I fall into a deep, deep depression where I shut everyone out and refuse to seek help. I lost count of how many days, weeks, and months I spent alone in my room, contemplating suicide. But I was extremely lucky to have met people throughout those four years, who genuinely cared for me whether I swam well or not. I think that's a really good thing that their culture is so open to talk about mental health. Actually I was forced to seek professional help. My coach in the US forced me to meet this psychologist. Took me a long time to learn that I am more than just an athlete. About a year ago, I challenged myself to find other things in life that I enjoy doing, other than just swimming. I am a daughter, a sister, a friend. I enjoy baking, cooking, trying new food, drawing. I love swimming, I love racing, it is something I'm good at but it is however, not something that defines me." (Sabah Aquatic Sports Association Facebook page, 14 Nov 2020; Instagram profile, 13 Aug 2020)

INTERNSHIP
In August 2017 she completed an internship with Swimming World magazine. (LinkedIn profile, 27 Nov 2020)