Our Asian Games Stars

When John Wong Tze Xiang finished with a bronze medal at the 20th Asian Games 2026, he made history for Singapore. Yet throughout the competition, a medal was not what John had been thinking about. He went into the Games simply wanting to perform at his best.

The significance of the result did not sink in immediately. John Wong Tze Xiang only realised his achievement was historic for Singapore when a Thai coach told him later. After years of training and the challenges along the way, standing on an Asian Games podium felt surreal.

John's journey on the water began at eight, when his father introduced him to sailing. While studying at ACS (Independent), he enjoyed the freedom of being out at sea and the friendships he formed through sailing. At 14, he switched to windsurfing and eventually decided that he wanted to pursue the sport competitively.

Training at a high level has taken John well beyond Singapore. This year, he spent about three months overseas, including two-and-a-half months training in Italy, where he was able to focus intensively on windsurfing. Back home, his programme includes strength and conditioning as well as time on the water when conditions allow.

Supporting his sporting ambitions has required an education pathway with flexibility. John joined Singapore Sports School because the three-year International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme allowed him to continue his studies while managing the demands of training and competition. The support of his teachers has been especially important during longer periods overseas. While training in Italy, John continued having consultations with his teachers to keep up with his studies. Being surrounded by fellow student-athletes who understand the demands of balancing sport and school has helped too.

His parents have also been a constant source of support. His father first introduced him to sailing, and both parents have supported his decision to pursue the sport seriously while continuing his education.

The Asian Games bronze marks an important milestone, but John is already looking further ahead. He hopes to qualify for the 2032 Olympic Games while also pursuing another ambition: studying medicine in Singapore and eventually becoming a doctor.

At her first Asian Games, 16-year-old gymnast Amanda Yap Ee-Lin became the only Southeast Asian gymnast to reach the Women’s Balance Beam final, finishing sixth with a score of 13.033. Competing with a back injury that had limited parts of her preparation made the achievement even more significant.

Amanda had not expected to make the final. But when the opportunity came, she focused on trusting the work she had put in and enjoying the experience of competing alongside some of Asia’s best gymnasts.

The result continued an impressive period for Amanda. In 2025, she became the first Singaporean gymnast to qualify for a World Championships final and also won silver on the balance beam at the SEA Games. In 2026, she added a Commonwealth Games silver, Singapore’s first gymnastics medal at the Games since 2014.

Yet gymnastics started simply because Amanda wanted to follow her older sister. She began lessons at about two years old after watching her sister train, and started competing more seriously after joining the gymnastics team at Methodist Girls’ School in Primary 1. In Primary 6, her coach's encouragement led her to trial for the National Training Centre. Being selected made her want to challenge herself and discover how far she could go in the sport.

That journey now involves training six days a week, about four hours each session, while managing her studies. Amanda joined Singapore Sports School in 2026, and says the flexibility has been a “game changer”, giving her confidence that her academic programme can accommodate the demands of training and competition.

Her approach to managing those demands is straightforward: take things one step at a time. “I just try to do my best at the task when I’m working on each thing,” she said.

Her next big ambition is clear: qualifying for the Olympic Games 2028, while continuing to improve her routines and remain competitive internationally.

For Amanda, success is ultimately about continuing to improve without losing sight of why she started gymnastics in the first place.

“Not taking myself or anything too seriously. I just want to do my best and enjoy the process.”

At the 20th Asian Games 2026, 15-year-old swimmer Julia Yeo Shu Ning recorded a personal best in the Women’s 100m Backstroke and helped Singapore set a new Under-17 National Record in the Women’s 4x100m Medley Relay.

Julia and her relay teammates had been hoping to break the record they first set about a year earlier. After lowering it by about 0.8 seconds in the heats, they knew they could go faster in the final. Together with Mikayla Liz Tan, Megan Janice Yo Ee Xin and Victoria Carrie Lim, Julia lowered the record again, with the quartet clocking 4:09.90.

“Swimming for the relay is not only swimming for yourself but also for the other three girls on the same team,” Julia said.

The result was particularly satisfying after some challenging races earlier in the season. Julia worked closely with Coach Jerome Teo to make adjustments ahead of her final Asian Games race. She was especially pleased with the improvements in her start, turn and underwater kicks, which helped her lower her 100m Backstroke personal best.

The Asian Games added to a strong period of progress for Julia. She had previously set the Women’s 200m Backstroke National Record at the SEA Games before lowering it again to 2:15.03 in March 2026. At the Singapore National Age Group Swimming Championships, she also won five golds and one silver and was named the Women’s 15–17 Most Valuable Player.

Despite her achievements, Julia is not one to be satisfied for long. Comparing herself with the world’s leading swimmers keeps her focused on getting better.

She credits Sports School’s flexible school hours, teacher consultations and boarding support with helping her manage training, studies and recovery. For Julia, each milestone motivates her to keep improving and see how much faster she can go.

For Reagan Cheng Kuo Shiong, moving to Sydney meant leaving his comfort zone in Singapore for the chance to train in a more competitive environment alongside faster swimmers.

The 18-year-old has continued his studies through Sports School’s pilot fully online IBDP programme, which gives him the flexibility to manage training, recovery and academics.

Despite being based overseas, Reagan continues to learn synchronously with his classmates in Singapore. After morning training, he logs in to lessons online, where he can see the teacher and lesson materials, ask questions and participate in class discussions. For group work, he interacts with his classmates virtually, helping him stay connected to lessons even though he is based in Sydney.

When his training schedule overlaps with classes, his teachers record the lessons for him to catch up on after training or the following day. They also check that he can follow the lesson clearly, offer consultations when he needs additional help, and accommodate his training demands where possible, including flexibility with assignment deadlines and assessments.

Balancing the IBDP with a demanding swimming programme has not always been easy, but the arrangement has given Reagan greater flexibility to plan his studies around training and recovery. His efforts paid off at the 2026 Asian Games, where Reagan recorded two personal bests in the Men’s 100m Breaststroke and Men’s 200m Individual Medley.

“Seeing all the effort pay off makes it feel worth it and gives me assurance that I’m on the right track,” he said.

He made further breakthroughs with two record-breaking swims at the 12th Singapore National Swimming Championships (SCM) 2026 held from 31 October to 1 November 2026. He clocked 1:57.05 in the Men’s 200m Individual Medley to set a new National Record and Meet Record. He also broke an 11-year-old Meet Record twice during the heats and finals of the Men’s 200m Backstroke, clocking 1:57.32 to better the previous record by 0.08 seconds.

Living overseas has meant giving up time with family and friends in Singapore, but Reagan believes the improvements in his swimming and progress in his studies have made the sacrifices worthwhile and motivated him to keep striving for more.