Team Singapore continued to shine on Day 7 of competition at the Asian Youth Games in Bahrain. Our young athletes put up spirited performances across swimming, table tennis, badminton, and wrestling. The day was highlighted by Singapore’s first gold medal in the pool, a proud moment that underscored the team’s determination and excellence on the regional stage.
SWIMMING
At the Bahrain Aquatics Centre, Tedd Windsor Chan III Heng Kai delivered a stunning swim to claim Singapore’s first gold medal of the Games in the boys’ 50m backstroke final. After topping the heats earlier in the day with a time of 25.86, Tedd surged ahead in the final to touch the wall first in 25.79, finishing ahead of a strong field to clinch the top spot. His teammate Reagan Cheng Kuo Shiong also performed admirably, clocking 26.83 in the heats and 26.72 in the final to finish sixth overall, adding to Singapore’s strong showing in the event.
Singapore’s swimmers continued to perform with resilience and heart across a range of disciplines. In the boys’ 200m breaststroke, Ho Chong Yan impressed in the heats with a time of 2:24.07, finishing 8th out of 34 swimmers to qualify for the final, where he then clocked a faster time of 2:23.81 to secure a 7th-place finish. Benjamin Tan also represented Singapore in the event, placing 16th overall (2:27.08).
In the boys’ 100m freestyle, Zavier Tay Qian Zheng (54.53) and Lim Zhequan Lawrence (55.30) finished 22nd and 30th respectively out of 48 competitors, while in the boys’ 50m butterfly, Tedd Windsor Chan recorded a swift 25.58 to place 10th overall and became Singapore’s second reserve for the final, with Zavier Tay finishing 23rd (26.44).
Among the girls, Yo Ee Xin Megan Janice delivered a strong performance in the 50m butterfly, clocking 28.14 in the heats to rank 2nd overall and advanced to the final, where she finished 4th with an impressive 27.81. Keira Chew also put up a commendable effort in the event, finishing joint 10th overall with 29.01. In the 200m breaststroke, Neo Jay Ning Suan advanced from the heats (2:39.60, 6th) to the final, where she clocked an improved 2:38.30 to finish 6th overall, while Elizabeth Low placed 11th in the heats (2:42.34).
In the girls’ 100m freestyle, Chew En Vivienne and Yo Ee Xin Megan Janice finished 24th (1:02.20) and 14th (59.80) respectively. Over in the girls’ 50m backstroke, Julia Yeo Shu Ning achieved a new personal best of 30.89 to finish 13th overall, while Ng Shi Ying Charlotte placed 22nd with a time of 31.71.
Singapore further showed strength in the relays. The boys’ 4x100m medley relay team — comprising Ho Chong Yan, Reagan Cheng Kuo Shiong, Tan Yonghao, and Tedd Windsor Chan III Heng Kai — finished 3rd out of 21 teams in the heats with a time of 3:53.12 to qualify for the final. In the evening showdown, the team put up another strong performance, clocking 3:50.81 to finish 5th overall among a competitive field. The girls’ 4x100m medley relay team of Chew En Vivienne, Julia Yeo Shu Ning, Neo Jay Ning Suan, and Yo Ee Xin Megan Janice also impressed, finishing 4th in the heats (4:23.97) before improving their time to 4:20.07 in the final to secure 4th place overall, narrowly missing out on a podium finish but demonstrating excellent teamwork and consistency.
TABLE TENNIS
In table tennis, Singapore’s mixed doubles pairs displayed commendable teamwork and resilience in the quarterfinals. Loy Ming Ying and Lau Yi Yuan Benjamin faced a strong Chinese duo, Tang Yiren and Hu Yi, eventually falling 0–3 despite their best efforts. Meanwhile, Chiang Rui En, Janelle and Seah Shih Luck Benaiah pushed Hong Kong’s Li Ki Ho and Mak Ming to five games before narrowly losing 2–3 in a close contest. Both pairs showed excellent composure and sportsmanship throughout.
In the boys’ singles, Tristen Yee Rui Bing, Lau Yi Yuan Benjamin, and Seah Shih Luck Benaiah all bowed out in the round of 32 despite fighting performances against opponents from Thailand, Malaysia, and Hong Kong respectively. In the girls’ singles, Chong Zi Sian went down 2–3 in a tight match against Chinese Taipei’s Wu Ying-Syuan, while Chiang Rui En, Janelle fell 0–3 to Hong Kong’s Su Tsz Tung. The highlight came from Loy Ming Ying, who defeated Bangladesh’s Khatun Asma 3–0 to advance to the round of 16, scheduled for 29 October at 4:00 pm (SGT).
BADMINTON
In badminton, Chew Jie Rui gave his all in the round of 32 against China’s Luo Jing Yu but was defeated 0–2. Despite the loss, Chew demonstrated great composure and grit against one of Asia’s top youth players, gaining valuable experience on the international stage.
WRESTLING
Over at wrestling, Singapore’s athletes fought bravely in their respective bouts. Sim Emiliano Hui Heng competed against Japan’s Kobayashi Satoya in the qualification round before facing Kazakhstan’s Narov Nurtay in the repechage. Although both matches ended in defeat, Sim displayed admirable perseverance throughout. Soh Yew Lun also gave his best effort in the round of 16 against Kyrgyzstan’s Sharipov Mukhamed, but was overcome 0–10 by his experienced opponent.
As the Games progress, Team Singapore continues to display resilience, unity, and pride, taking every competition as an opportunity to grow. With one gold, one silver, two bronzes and several events still ongoing, including Loy Ming Ying’s upcoming table tennis match, our young athletes remain focused and determined. Team Singapore’s fighting spirit continues to shine brightly in Bahrain, one team and one dream, united in red and white.