SEA Games 2025: Old pals Stephenie Chen, Lucas Teo team up for new kayak gold

Lucas Teo (left) and Stephenie Chen are old friends and teammates, who have now also teamed up to win SEA Games gold together. Photo: SportSG/ Dumrongsak Angsuworapruek

When it comes to kayaking, Stephenie Chen knows how to do a few things well: how to race, and how to handle a tough schedule. 

What she is a little more unfamiliar with, however, is competing in the more uncommon mixed gender discipline.

The 34-year-old veteran got through all that with poise, as she teamed up with old friend and teammate Lucas Teo to take gold in the mixed kayak double 500m. 

The two made for a strong pairing and were dominant in the race as they crossed the finish line at the Royal Thai Navy Rowing Training Centre in Rayong province in 1min 49.086sec.

They finished ahead of Vietnam’s Vo Duy Thanh and Do Thi Thanh Thao (1:49.902) and Indonesia’s Subhi and Ramla Baharuddin (1:50.985), who took silver and bronze, respectively. 

Said Chen, a Paris 2024 Olympian: “Lucas and I train very differently, so it was interesting to see how he moves in a boat, and for him to see how I move in a boat.”

There was also the slight “issue” that Chen trains in Australia, while Teo is based in Singapore. 

The Asian Games silver medallist said: “Lucas came over to Australia for a short stint to try out the boat, to see what we need to work on. It was quite trial and error, with something so new.”

It certainly helped that the two are old friends and both veterans of the sport. 

With Chen (right) based in Australia, training together was not the simplest of affairs. Teo made a short trip Down Under so the two could spend some time on the waters together. Photo: SportSG/ Dumrongsak Angsuworapruek

Said Teo: “We’ve known each other for a long time and there’s a very good trust between both of us. We can easily communicate our ideas to each other and come to a consensus very quickly. 

“My aim is just to make the team comfortable, and that’s why it worked well together.”

Said Chen: “It helps in the sense that I understand where he’s coming from. We’ve both been in the sport for so long… I know how he operates. I guess that’s why we paired up, because we know what to expect from each other, and that really helps.”

Both kayakers noted how the gold and the day’s hectic schedule of races would not have been manageable if not for the strength of the support behind them. 

Said Teo: “Special shoutout to the support staff. Everything was set up for us – the recovery, the physios helping us with massages in between the races, getting our ice baths set up. A lot of Singaporeans came down to support us too. We couldn’t have done it without that.” 

In other events, Chen also joined Georgia Ng, Brandon Ooi and Alden Ler to take silver in the mixed K4 500m event. 

For Chen, it was a homecoming of sorts to the SEA Games. The last time she competed at the biennial Games was a decade ago, when the event was held in Singapore. 

That year, she teamed up with Suzanne Seah to win the women’s K2 500m. Her newest SEA Games title is still a special one. 

With her best friend now retired from the sport, Chen’s partner at the top of the podium is now Teo, Seah’s husband. 

Seah, meanwhile, was watching in the stands with two children in tow. 

The 33rd SEA Games are held in Thailand from 9 to 20 December 2025. 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.