From swimming powerhouse Joseph Schooling to badminton whiz Derek Wong, we suss out 10 Singaporean sports athletes to watch out for at the Rio Olympics 2016
Singapore may be a tiny isle nation, but we’re most definitely a talented one too. Aside from hatching a gifted generation of local filmmakers, chefs, musicians, and fashion designers, Singapore’s also produced some of the greatest sports athletes in the world, and you’ll see plenty of them reppin’ the red and white next month. Upping the patriotism come August – and we’re not just talking about National Day – these local sportsmen and sportswomen will be going for gold at the Rio Olympic Games, participating in sports such as swimming, rowing, sailing, badminton and more. We give you sports fans a quick introduction to 10 of Singapore’s athletes to watch out for at Rio 2016. You’ve already done us proud!
Saiyidah Aisyah
Age: 28
Claim to fame: Since winning Singapore’s first individual rowing gold medal win at the SEA Games in 2013, the limelight’s been on her (pictured above. Photo credit: Justin Koh of Sport Singapore) impressive dedication; her efforts include putting her job on hold, practising solo and using up most of her savings to fund her training before she finally resorted to crowd-funding. All that dedication has clearly paid off – she’s now Singapore’s first rower to qualify for the olympics.
Catch her in action at: Women’s single sculls
Elizabeth Yin
Age: 24
Claim to fame: Elizabeth started her career young – she first took to the sails at the age of 11 and was already a triple world champion by the age of 18. Of her many wins, Yin clinched the country its second Olympic acclaim when she achieved the 19th spot (of a total of 120) at the Laser Standard event at the Santander ISAF (International Sailing Federation) Sailing World Championships 2014.
Catch her in action at: Women’s One Person Dinghy Laser Radial
Colin Cheng
Age: 26
Claim to fame: Known as one of Singapore’s sailing best, Australia-based Colin claimed the title as the top Asian sailor in the men’s laser standard class at his very first Olympics in 2012. Word on the street (or rather, the sea) goes that Colin may be the first local sailor to finish amongst the top 10 at the upcoming Olympics.
Catch him in action at: Men’s One Person Dinghy – Laser
Joseph Schooling
Age: 21
Claim to fame: You’d be hardpressed to have not heard about this national swimmer. The swimming powerhouse repeatedly smashes records – at last year’s SEA games, he bagged 9 golds and broke said records – and most recently beat Michael Phelps in a 100m butterfly race at the Longhorns Elite Invite meet in Austin, Texas.
Catch him in action at: Men’s 100m and 200m freestyle, 100m and 200m butterfly
Derek Wong
Age: 27
Claim to fame: Known as Singapore’s top male shuttler, the world No. 52 beat former world champion Taufik Hidayat in the 2011 World Championships. Badminton is clearly in his blood; his dad is 1983 Sea Games badminton men’s champion Wong Shoon Keat, while his mum is former national player Irene Lee. With the 2016 Rio Olympics potentially being his last game (he’s thinking of retiring from the pro circuit), Derek has claimed to put in his all this year.
Catch him in action at: Men’s singles
Jasmine Ser
Age: 25
Claim to fame: Despite starting late in the discipline, Jasmine has rapidly progressed to the top, and has since clinched one of the eight gold medals at THE 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the 50-metre rifle 3 positions category in the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Catch her in action at: Women’s 50m rifle three positions, 10m air rifle
Quah Zheng Wen
Age: 19
Claim to fame: Despite only being 20 years old, Zheng Wen has scooped up plenty of medals – three individual gold medals and one silver medal at the 2013 Asian Youth Games – and smashed six Games records at the 28th SEA Games whilst simultaneously being the most bemedalled athlete at the event. Having clinched the top spot for the 200m butterfly event at the Arena Pro Series meet in Indianapolis recently, progress is rapidly being made on his road to Rio.
Catch him in action at: Men’s 100m backstroke, 100m and 200m butterfly
Teo Shun Xie
Age: 27
Claim to fame: Responsible for winning Singapore’s first gold medal in shooting at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Shun Xie’s score then of 198.6 also set a new record for the Women’s 10m Air Pistol competition.
Catch her in action at: Women’s 25m pistol, 10m air pistol
Neo Jie Shi
Age: 30
Claim to fame: After winning the women’s local category at the Standard Chartered Marathon, Jie Shi has become Singapore’s first marathoner to qualify for the Olympics. Despite being a newbie to the Olympics and the big-time sport, Jie Shi is set to impress with a tailored training plan and high-level marathon coaches training her up for the big day. While she’s looking to beat her personal best, her participation in the Olympics has paved the path for up-and-coming distance runners in Singapore.
Catch her in action at: Athletics marathon
Yu Mengyu
Age: 26
Claim to fame: Despite not being locally born, Mengyu has done the country proud repeatedly, with her participation in the winning team at the 2010 World Team Table Tennis Championships in Moscow and multiple wins – including Golds for Mixed Doubles and Women’s Team category at the 2015 SEA Games, and Women’s Doubles and Women’s Team at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
Catch her in action at: Women’s singles, team