Asian Games 2026: Triathletes hungry for more

Singapore triathlete and Asian Games debutant Tey Yi Jun finished 13th in the men's individual event on 20 Sep. Photo: SpexSG/Damrongsak Angsuworapruek

Triathlete Tey Yi Jun is competing in just his second major Games at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games,

Featuring in his second major Games has stoked triathlete Tey Yi Jun’s ambitions for more, after a promising debut at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games on 20 Sep.

The 23-year-old, who made his major Games bow at the SEA Games last year, finished 13th in 55min 54sec in the men’s individual event at the Gamagori City Triathlon Venue – well within his target of a top-15 finish. Teammate Luke Chua was 17th in 56min 37sec. Home favourite Takumi Hojo won the first gold of these Games in 52:56, ahead of China’s Zhang Xirui (53:05) and Kazakhstan’s Arlan Zhanabay (53:11).

In the women’s event, Kathlyn Yeo was 15th in 1:03.12 while Herlene Yu was 18th in 1:05.13. China occupied the top two spots with Lin Xinyu (57:37) and Huang Anqi (57:58) taking gold and silver respectively. Manami Hayashi of Japan (58:36) completed the podium.

Singapore's Herlene Yu (centre) and Kathlyn Yeo (right) were pleased with how they handled the 20km bike leg of the Asian Games triathlon event on 20 Sep. Photo: SpexSG/Damrongsak Angsuworapruek

Tey, who picked up the sport about three years ago, said: “I think I’ve met all my process goals coming in and I now have new ones because there are a few technical bits I think I didn’t do so well in. I’m going to go back and practise.

“I’m very grateful that I had all my teammates and coach Matt (Bury, Singapore coach for the Asian Games), who took us on last week’s training camp at the Singapore Sports School. So even though I’m quite new, I think I was well-prepared for this race. This is a great first step to hopefully more major Games in the future, and better results.

“Next year, hopefully there will be the SEA Games in Malaysia and after that we'll see about LA 2028. Ultimately, I think we’re all working towards 2029 and the home SEA Games.”

Singapore triathletes Luke Chua (left) and Tey Yi Jun at the swimming leg of the triathlon event at the Asian Games on 20 Sep. Photo: SpexSG/Damrongsak Angsuworapruek

For compatriot Chua, the race was fuel for his unrelenting drive to continue working towards better performances.

Triathlete Luke Chua is eager to refine his racing approach as he bids to qualify for the Olympic Games. Photo: SpexSG/Damrongsak Angsuworapruek

Chua, who is competing in his second Asian Games, reckons he had started the 750m swim leg well, until a stitch kicked in about three minutes into his race. “This does not show the performance I’m capable of. I’ve been doing this for a long time and been struggling for a bit, but I think what’s more important is that I don’t give up and I just keep trying,” he said.

The 25-year-old has been training full-time since the start of 2025 with several targets in mind, including qualifying for the Asian Games and the 2028 Olympic Games. A key challenge has been the lack of financial stability, but Chua credits the support from his friends and being on the Spex Potential scheme as major contributing factors to easing his financial worries.

A former competitive swimmer who started triathlons at age 16, Chua added: “Growing up doing sports, I knew I wasn’t the most talented, but I knew I could always give my best and 110 per cent. I understand that hard work can beat talent and if I can believe it, I can achieve it. I’m going to work my a** off, I’m going to keep trying. I will be here for the next Asian Games."

Herlene Yu was 18th in the women's individual event at the Asian Games triathlon competition on 20 Sep. Photo: SpexSG/Damrongsak Angsuworapruek

For Yu, coping with the technical demands of the bike circuit was one of the positives despite the disappointment of falling short of her own expectations in the women’s event.

The 24-year-old had started training full-time earlier this year after completing university and did a two-month training stint in Spain, and was in good shape entering the quadrennial Games. Describing how she was thrown off by the physicality of the swim as she felt some of the other competitors grabbing her feet, Yu said: “I tried to go a bit harder on the bike … on the run I just couldn’t seem to find that pace. The bike was good in terms of skill because there are so many U-turns and it’s a really technical course. I did a lot of U-turn practice in Spain and that kind of saved some energy for me and allowed me to catch up a little bit.

“I think I might take a while to get myself back, to be honest. It was quite rough today and I came in with expectations of translating my training into racing. Not getting what I wanted today was kind of tough for me.”

Triathlete Kathlyn Yeo made her Asian Games debut at the Gamagori Triathlon City Venue on 20 Sep. Photo: SpexSG/Damrongsak Angsuworapruek

Asian Games debutant Yeo was satisfied with her maiden outing, having held her own on a tough 20km bike circuit. The 26-year-old, who got into triathlon in 2024 and started racing last year, had recently started work as a doctor in the UK and was training with the British triathlon team there before coming to Japan.

“I think it helped my bike skills a bit, and (today) was much better. I’m still really new to the sport so I’m still learning at every race, but my transitions today were not too bad,” she said.

“This course is really tough for me because it’s really technical on the bike and my skills are not there yet. I’m happy to stay in the group and just hold my position on the run.”

The national triathletes will compete in their final event of the Asian Games on 21 Sep in the mixed team relay.

The 20th Asian Games are held in Japan from 19 September to 4 October 2026. For the latest Team Singapore coverage and news, follow Team Singapore on their social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) or visit the official Team Singapore website.