He attended St. Andrew's Secondary School and Raffles Junior College, and went on to do a double degree in Philosophy and Political Science at the National University of Singapore.

He went on to win the Hong Kong Open with 10.45s and qualified for the 2001 Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur.

He clinched the silver medal in the 100m race with 10.37s, equalling the national record he created earlier in the year.

In 2003, Shyam took part in the 2003 Southeast Asian Games and won the silver medal in the 4×100 metres relay with Lin Jingze, Hamkah Afik and Poh Seng Song.

In 2018, Shyam released a book, written by former national sprinter Kenneth Khoo, Running On Empty: The Story Behind 0.01s, detailing his athletics career.