Making History, Making Our Mark at the Asian Games

20th Asian Games 2026

A record 71 past and present Sports School student-athletes represented Team Singapore at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, held from 19 September to 4 October 2026. Making up about one in four athletes in the Team Singapore contingent, our past student-athletes had already contributed five medals – one gold, two silver and two bronze – as of 30 September 2026. That accounted for nearly half of Singapore’s 11 medals at that point: two gold, six silver and three bronze.

Sports School reached a new milestone this year, with a record number of current student-athletes qualifying for the Games. In all, 34 current student-athletes made their Asian Games debut.

From defending titles and making history to setting new personal bests and national records, our past and present student-athletes have risen to the occasion across athletics, badminton, fencing, swimming and wushu, while our past and present student-athletes have also delivered encouraging performances across diving, artistic gymnastics, table tennis.

Athletics

Veronica Shanti Pereira successfully defended her Asian Games women’s 200m title in a season-best 22.78 seconds, becoming the first woman to win back-to-back Asian Games titles in the event. She also claimed silver in the 100m, clocking another season-best of 11.21 seconds.

“Coming into today, I knew it was my day. Nothing or no one was going to stop me from getting it,” she said after her 200m victory.

Her campaign also saw her play a key role in a new national record in the mixed 4x100m relay. Shanti and her teammates clocked 41.19 seconds to finish fourth.

Badminton

Alumnus Loh Kean Yew made history as the first Singaporean to reach an Asian Games men’s singles final. After exiting in the first round on his Asian Games debut in 2023, Kean Yew returned stronger to claim silver, missing out on gold after a 12–21, 16–21 defeat to Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn.

“I’m happy to get the silver and create history but at the same time, it is a bit sad that I couldn’t get the gold medal,” he said.

Back at school, staff and the Badminton Academy gathered in the AVA for a watch party, cheering every point as they watched their alumnus take on the Asian Games final.


Fencing

Sports School alumnae Esther Tan and Filzah Hidayah were part of the women’s épée team that clinched bronze after a dramatic quarter-final comeback. Trailing Uzbekistan by eight points, the team fought back to edge their opponents 42–41, securing Singapore’s first Asian Games team medal in épée.

Wushu

Alumna Zeanne Law won Singapore’s first medal of the Games, taking joint bronze with Brunei’s Basma Lachkar in the women’s combined Taijiquan-Taijijian, where both athletes scored 19.443. After finishing ninth at the 2023 Asian Games, Zeanne returned to the podium having since become a world champion. Her journey included training in Fujian alongside athletes she would eventually face in the final. “It doesn’t matter what colour it is. I’m just glad I managed to win one,” she said.

Asian Games debutant Chia Kai Ming also impressed, finishing fourth in the men’s Changquan – a remarkable performance following his journey back from injury. Meanwhile, Jowen Lim finished sixth in the men’s Taolu Daoshu-Gunshu, while Chan Jun Kai and Zoe Tan secured eighth- and ninth-place finishes respectively in their events.

Swimming

Beyond the podium, our swimmers turned in strong performances with new personal bests and national records that highlighted their potential.

Julia Yeo also played her part in a new National U17 Record in the Women’s 4x100m Medley Relay final. Together with teammates Mikayla Liz Tan, Megan Janice Yo Ee Xin and Victoria Carrie Lim, the team clocked 4:09.90.

Also, Reagan Cheng set two new personal bests in the Men’s 100m Breaststroke and 200m Individual Medley heats, clocking 1:01.67 and 2:01.25 respectively.

From podium breakthroughs to record-breaking swims, dramatic comebacks and historic firsts, the Asian Games have once again shown what Sports School student-athletes can achieve when talent meets determination.

Special mentions

The podium was not the only place where Sports School student-athletes made their mark. Across Diving, Artistic Gymnastics, Table Tennis and Swimming, our young athletes delivered strong performances, setting new personal bests and national records, and gained valuable experience on one of Asia’s biggest sporting stages.

Artistic Gymnastics

Following her silver-medal performance at the Commonwealth Games, artistic gymnast Amanda Yap went on to test herself against Asia’s leading gymnasts.She recorded the team’s best individual results, finishing ninth in the Individual All-Around and qualifying ninth for the Balance Beam Final. She then raised her game in the final, improving to sixth place.

Diving

As the sole Sports School representative in Singapore’s young diving squad of five, Max Lee Shen Oon led the individual performances with two Top 8 finishes.He placed seventh out of 15 competitors in the men’s 1m Springboard and eighth out of 17 in the men’s 3m Springboard. Up against some of Asia’s strongest diving nations, Max delivered an encouraging performance and showed plenty of potential to build on as he continues his development towards future major Games.

Table Tennis

Photo Credit: SpexSG/ Damrongsak Angsuworapruek

Seven of Team Singapore’s 10 paddlers at the Asian Games hailed from Sports School, forming a strong presence in the national team.

The highlight came in the Women’s Team event, where Singapore pulled off a 3–2 upset over world No. 9 Hong Kong. Loy Ming Ying and teammate Tan Zhao Yun delivered crucial performances as the team advanced to the quarter-finals.

In the Men’s Doubles, Koen Pang and Izaac Quek pushed top-seeded Japan to the limit in a closely fought quarter-final before narrowly missing out on a place in the semi-finals.

The Women’s Doubles pairing of Ser Lin Qian and Loy Ming Ying also reached the quarter-finals, underlining the young paddlers’ growing presence at the continental level.

Meanwhile, the action continues at the Asian Games, with our past and present student-athletes in cycling, golf, jiu-jitsu, rhythmic gymnastics, sailing, sport climbing and water polo taking centre stage.