Zac Leow Zixiang

Zi Xiang Zac Leow is a Singaporean para-athlete and exercise physiologist renowned for overcoming paralysis from a 2013 cycling accident to achieve elite-level athletic and academic accomplishments. After sustaining a spinal cord injury that left him fully paralyzed in late 2013, Leow regained the ability to walk through intensive rehabilitation and completed the Perth Marathon in June 2014, marking his return to endurance running. He is an Exercise Physiologist and Guinness World Record holder currently working with the Ministry of Defence of Singapore.

Leow was a MERIT recipient for Personal Improvement and/or Accomplishment of the 2021 Ten Outstanding Young Persons of Singapore (TOYP), recognizing his remarkable journey of resilience and achievement. He won a silver medal in the Men's T37 1500m at the 2015 ASEAN Para Games, representing Singapore's first medal in athletics at the event. Academically, he earned his PhD in Exercise Physiology from the University of Western Australia in 2020, with his thesis focusing on the effects of very low-carbohydrate diets on blood glucose management in individuals with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

In December 2023, Leow achieved a significant milestone by breaking the Guinness World Record for the CI1 (men) para-classification marathon, completing the 42.195km race at the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon in 4 hours 51 minutes 59 seconds, surpassing the previous record of 5 hours 30 minutes. This achievement was particularly meaningful as it occurred on his daughter Mika's second birthday and at the National Stadium, the same venue where he won his ASEAN Para Games silver medal.