Elegance / Perseverance / Confident

September 18, 2023, the Royal Confraternity of Saint Teotonio of Portugal awarded the title of Dame to former China national swimming team member Teresa Yolanda Cheung(张烨晗 )at the Holy Spirit Church in Estonia in recognition of her achievements in Contributions to the sports and fashion industries and cultural exchanges between China and the West. As a Chinese-American who has settled in the United States, Teresa has always believed that sports and fashion are an international language and a bridge and link for cultural communication around the world. China, as a country with dominant Eastern culture, plays an important role in promoting world peace. Teresa will, as always, continue to contribute to promoting the exchange and integration of Chinese and Western cultures. (Note: The Dame order system comes from the United Kingdom and is an honorary system. Dame is equal to the title of knight.)

Teresa  is a former member of China's national swimming team, The current  Star Dream swimming  team of  New York Founder and Head Coach ,also is a successful fashion model, and emerging film actress. In  August 2023. The 19th  FINA World Aquatics Masters Championships  In Women’s  100M and 50M breaststroke races, she defeated several strong opponents who had previously achieved remarkable results in international competitions. In the 100M breaststroke, she ranked seventh globally in the final standings, and in the 50M  breaststroke, she secured first place in her group. In the overall standings of this event, she ranked sixth in the world.

Teresa was born in China. Her mother was also a professional swim coach who was a torchbearer at Asian Games and has coached numerous national champions, She was selected to the China national swimming team at the young age of 13.She won the national swimming championship three years in a row and twice broke the national record for the 100M breaststroke at junior National Swimming Championships.

After retiring, she was admitted to Shanghai Jiao Tong University for further studies. Then, She immigrated to the United States via an Alien of Extraordinary Ability ,where she became a (ASCA)swimming coach ,Since then, she has coached nearly  300  outstanding young American swimmers who have achieved remarkable results in major swimming competitions across the United States.

What’s astonishing is that while serving as a swimming coach, she entered into the fashion circles of China and the United States thanks to her athletic physique honed through years of professional training. With her elegant demeanor and innate qualities, she has become a  fashion model.

In March 2022, “Arena”, an American thriller about an airplane crash, was looking for actresses across the United States. The film was produced and supervised by Chinese-American Raymond Chen, the head of New York ZUN Royal Group, and directed by Alexander Bok, an emerging American director. Teresa Y. Cheung, who has harbored a strong interest in the performing arts since childhood, signed up for the casting audition. She stood out among hundreds of candidates, securing a contract to play the core role of  Elisa.

Cheung said that after retiring from swimming for several years, she was thrilled to once again stand on the starting block of a global competition as an athlete. Her participation in the World Aquatics Masters Championships was to prove that “champions never retire. Giving it your all is what makes an excellent swimmer.” With her passion, she has become a legend!

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Moevir Magazine November Issue 2023 featured edition

[Teresa Yolanda Cheung]

https://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/2643744

SERIES 1 : 

YOU ARE ONLY ACTION AWAY 

FROM YOUR DREAM

Model Teresa Yolanda Cheung @teresacheung_official

Photographer Bob Gao @bobgaostudio

Fashion Designer Ruslan Khvastov Ukraine @showroom_ruslan_khvastov

Retoucher Bob Gao @bobgaostudio

Hat :Rachel Trevor-MORGAN ;

Earrings:MEIS HAUTE COUTURE JEWELER NEW YORK

SERIES 2 : 

TOMORROW  WILL BE BETTER THAN TODAY

Model: Teresa Yolanda Cheung @Teresa.yolanda.Cheung 

Photographer:  Liang Kuang @ Liang Kuang 

Retouched :  Jack Yan  | Bob Gao

Makeup Artist: Coco Liu

Jewelry :Lapur Jewelry

Brand : Dolce &Gabbna  |   ML Fur

SERIES 3 : 

FASHION ,STYLE FOREVER

Model: Teresa Yolanda Cheung @Teresa.yolanda.Cheung 

Photographer:  Kevin Koo  @Kevin Koo   

Retouched :  Retouched :  Kevin Koo @Kevin Koo 

Makeup Artist: Coco Liu

SERIES 4 : 

Worthy love. and love will come 

Model: Teresa Yolanda Cheung @Teresa.yolanda.Cheung 

Photographer:  Liang Kuang @ Liang Kuang 

Retouched :  Jack Yan  | Bob Gao

Makeup Artist: Coco Liu 

Jewelry :Lapur Jewelry 

Brand : Dolce &Gabbna 

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Can you tell us about your journey into the fashion industry and how you became a successful model/blogger?

 As a former Chinese National Swimming Team member, a founder and head coach of the New York Star Dream Swimming Team Club, Teresa Cheung is a gorgeous international model, successfully expanding her professional swimming career into the fashion industry. She was introduced to the fashion industry in 2008 through a fashion show agent who encouraged and referred her to several New York and International famous fashion designers. 

Teresa surely won over many model candidates with her outstanding performance in model casting, and was selected as the designers’ dedicated model. Over a 15 year modeling career, she has been selected as a brand ambassador and fashion spokesperson by a variety of internationally well-known fashion designers not only based on Teresa’s beautiful appearance, but also her self-confidence, international style and Asian elegance. As she progressed with her modeling career and gained her reputation in the fashion modeling industry, Teresa has been invited for interviews with major fashion publications and appeared on their magazine covers, 《EllIE 》,《 MALVIE》,《 GMORO 》just to name a few of them. During the February 2020 New York Fashion Week, she performed in 37 runway shows within seven days, navigating one show after another, running for castings and fittings multiple times each day like a soldier running through battlefields. 

Teresa carried on her modeling career with the same attitude, inspiration, and work ethics as she had done in her beloved swimming profession. She never gave up any opportunity to work with the designers she admired and proceeded with enthusiasm no matter how fatigued she became or how much foot pain she had with blisters from wearing high heels for long hours practice and shows. Every time Teresa walked on a runway, she demonstrated her best capability to effectively illustrate the brand's fashion beauty and the designer’s connotation. She has earned universal praise and global reputation. Teresa constantly reminds herself: success comes from your hard work to seize every opportunity; relying on your efforts, not by chance.

What initially drove you to pursue swimming as a profession in your early years?

Teresa comes from a sports family, as her mother used to be both an athlete and later a coach for the Chinese National Swimming team.  In her illustrious coaching career, Teresa’s mother trained many world-class swimmers representing China in global competitions including the Olympics, World Swimming Championships, Military World Games, and the Asia Games. 

Watching elite swimmers winning gold medals and other impressive results inspired Teresa early on to follow a similar path.  When she was just over two years old, Teresa’s mother brought her to the swimming pool and launched her swimming career by becoming her first coach. Since then, whenever Teresa watched champion athletes standing on the podium raising the national flag and singing the national anthem, she was extremely excited, inspired, and dreamed of becoming an elite swimmer. 

Along her swimming career in China, Teresa achieved the 100 meter breaststroke youth age group championship in China’s National Swimming Championship Games, and held this event for three consecutive years. Later on, Teresa became a member of the Chinese National Swimming Team at the age of 13, her dream came true.

Do you have a specific strategy or technique when competing against other swimmers in  the pool?

Prior to competition, I strived to stay focused on conditioning and maintaining a  self-confident mindset.  Conditioning includes upholding a strict training schedule, proper diet, and sufficient rest. Review any critical technical skill sets that are required for the event to achieve competitive advantage. Maintain a calm, controlled, and confident approach. These factors should come together in achieving rewardable results.

Is there a particular victory or defeat in your athletic career that shifted your  perspective on swimming?

Winning a national champion title at the age of ten gave me the confidence and drive to  keep competing at the highest level.  Since that time swimming has become much more than a hobby or a path to physical fitness.  The victory provided a feeling of pride for me and my family.  It also paved the way for me to pursue the dream of glory on the global stage.

How did your family and friends view and support your swimming endeavors ?

Coming from a family with a strong athletic background, I am very fortunate to have a solid support network from an early age.  With my mother as a national team swimming coach, I always had my mother’s technical guidance in the first place, and her great encouragement when I ran into any  downturn. Accomplished athletes do not stand alone, and I often credit my family, teammates, and friends for my success.

What's the most frequent mental challenge you face during training and competitions?

Training as a competitive athlete is extremely demanding both physically and mentally.  One major mental challenge is the fear of physical exhaustion that Training as a competitive athlete is extremely demanding both physically and mentally.  One major mental challenge is the fear of physical exhaustion that will impact my performance in a single event or relay, and also peer pressure when racing with an uprising star teammate. impact my performance in a single event or relay, and also peer pressure when racing with an uprising star teammate.

Do you believe your background in swimming gives you a unique advantage in the modeling industry?

I do believe my background as a professional swimmer gives me a unique advantage in the modeling industry. Competitive athlete must maintain physical fitness and a strong   discipline for day-to-day high strength training. Carrying over from my swimming career with a competitive mindset and perseverance definitely helped me to succeed in the fashion industry.

What's your perspective on modern fashion and the idea of healthy beauty?

Fashion leads the trend and is the expression of popular culture. Fashion is irrespective of age and gender. True fashion reflects an attitude towards life and free expression, including your outfit.

There are many forms of beauty, and beauty should not be defined. Being slim  is beautiful, and being a little  fat is also a kind of beauty, but I like healthy beauty. Healthy beauty means strength, confidence, sunshine, and loving oneself. For women, it means exercise and nutrition. Balance is a vital process.