Thirst To Succeed At First SEA Games
32nd Southeast Asian Games
Name: Nge Joo Jie and Johann Prajogo
Age: 19
Sport: Badminton
Badminton’s rising stars Nge Joo Jie (Diploma in Business, Year 3) and Johann Prajogo (Diploma in Business Studies, Year 3) have been working their way to the top since they started playing as a pair four years ago. Their partnership started when they played doubles in an international tournament in Thailand, where they exceeded expectations by upsetting the top seeds and finishing third. This gave the duo a confidence boost, and they soon developed stronger chemistry as they learnt to communicate and read each other’s body language better.
In 2022, the doubles pair had an impressive year when they won back-to-back titles in the Croatia Valamar Junior Open and Bulgaria Junior Open Championships in June. In November, they were ranked World Junior No.13 in Men’s Doubles, but before they knew it, they reached the top spot in the BWF Junior Rankings for Men’s Doubles within a short span of one month. This made them Singapore’s second badminton world No.1, after alumna Yeo Jia Min became the top junior female player in June 2017.
In 2023, the duo moved up to the senior circuit with a current ranking of 156 in the Men’s Doubles. The duo will be making their debut at the upcoming 32nd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Cambodia.
On their goals for SEA Games, they said: “As this is our first SEA Games, we did not set very high target for ourselves. We hope to perform to the best level at the Games.”
Name: Bron Sheum Han Shen
Age: 23
Sport: Fencing
Bron Sheum Han Shen joined Sports School from Chung Cheng High School (Yishun) in Secondary 5. Despite his hearing impairment, it did not stop him from believing in himself, from dreaming and working hard. He fought his way up in both sports and academics. Academically, Bron started off in his school in the Normal Technical course and worked his way into the Normal Academic course and is now pursuing his Diploma in Business with Republic Polytechnic. In sports, he made a strong comeback after a wrist injury and qualified only after the second-last ranking competition at the World Cup.
“It felt surreal and unbelievable to qualify for the SEA Games. It has been one of my dreams to qualify for SEA Games since I started fencing competitively. I was not expecting to do well as my national ranking dropped when I injured my wrist during the preparation for the last overseas competition for the selection of SEA Games. Despite that, all I could think was about giving my best for the rest of the competitions I played in and surprisingly, I managed to boost my ranking to the top 4. I hope to do well with my teammates and continue to defend the gold medal we won at the last Games,” said Bron.
Name: Nadhrah Sahrin
Age: 19
Sport: Pencak Silat
Nadhrah Sahrin comes from a family of Pencak Silat exponents. Out of her five siblings, four of them have been training in Pencak Silat since young. As the third child in the family, she admired her older siblings who were already in the sport and followed their footsteps. Three of her siblings are still in Sports School, with the youngest in Secondary 2.
She started training at 9 years old and has not looked back since. She joined Sports School as she wanted to excel in sports and studies.
She missed the last SEA Games as her weight class category was not part of the competition. However, she looked at the lost opportunity as a chance for her to better prepare herself for the upcoming SEA Games. She shared, “I feel happy, nervous, and also excited to be given the opportunity to compete in the SEA Games. This SEA Games means a lot to me since it’s my dream to represent Singapore in the SEA Games and especially because it’s my first one.”
On her preparation for the Games, she shared, “Every training session is important as it teaches me how I can improve on my skills and sharpen my techniques. Overall, I hope to clinch a gold medal, but my target is to focus on the process and use my experience from previous competitions in SEA Games to be the better version of myself,” she said.
Name: Lim Wan Ting
Age: 17
Sport: Triathlon
2023 has been a memorable year for Lim Wan Ting, who has had a fresh start in sports and studies. Just this year, Wan Ting made the move to transfer from Swimming to Triathlon and started her IBDP studies.
The former Woodlands Primary School student joined Sports School in 2019 to pursue her dreams of being able to represent Singapore in swimming competitions at Major Games. It was a bold step in the right direction as Wan Ting has achieved her dream by qualifying for SEA Games in 2023. Her love and passion for swimming led her to explore Triathlon, which combines her strength in swimming and her interest in running. While Wan Ting admits that cycling may not be her strongest area, she enjoys Triathlon as she can use her different interests and strengths within a race.
Elated that she has been given the opportunity to represent Singapore at the SEA Games, Wan Ting shared, “It feels so unreal how I am able to be selected for the team as I have just recently transited into this new sport of aquathlon/triathlon despite having only the base of swimming. However, I also feel extremely happy that I can attain my dream of representing Singapore at the SEA Games, although I may not be competing in it as a swimmer. I am forever thankful for all the different types of support I have received, which led me towards this path.”
On her goals for the SEA Games, Wan Ting said, “My goal is to be able to podium at the SEA Games with my relay teammates so that I can sing the national anthem proudly. I would also like to gain new experiences from it so that I can be a better athlete and make improvements in my next race. Also, I remind myself that I should enjoy the process, no matter the outcome.”
Name: Nge Joo Jie and Johann Prajogo
Age: 19
Sport: Badminton
Badminton’s rising stars Nge Joo Jie (Diploma in Business, Year 3) and Johann Prajogo (Diploma in Business Studies, Year 3) have been working their way to the top since they started playing as a pair four years ago. Their partnership started when they played doubles in an international tournament in Thailand, where they exceeded expectations by upsetting the top seeds and finishing third. This gave the duo a confidence boost, and they soon developed stronger chemistry as they learnt to communicate and read each other’s body language better.
In 2022, the doubles pair had an impressive year when they won back-to-back titles in the Croatia Valamar Junior Open and Bulgaria Junior Open Championships in June. In November, they were ranked World Junior No.13 in Men’s Doubles, but before they knew it, they reached the top spot in the BWF Junior Rankings for Men’s Doubles within a short span of one month. This made them Singapore’s second badminton world No.1, after alumna Yeo Jia Min became the top junior female player in June 2017.
In 2023, the duo moved up to the senior circuit with a current ranking of 156 in the Men’s Doubles. The duo will be making their debut at the upcoming 32nd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Cambodia.
On their goals for SEA Games, they said: “As this is our first SEA Games, we did not set very high target for ourselves. We hope to perform to the best level at the Games.”
Name: Bron Sheum Han Shen
Age: 23
Sport: Fencing
Bron Sheum Han Shen joined Sports School from Chung Cheng High School (Yishun) in Secondary 5. Despite his hearing impairment, it did not stop him from believing in himself, from dreaming and working hard. He fought his way up in both sports and academics. Academically, Bron started off in his school in the Normal Technical course and worked his way into the Normal Academic course and is now pursuing his Diploma in Business with Republic Polytechnic. In sports, he made a strong comeback after a wrist injury and qualified only after the second-last ranking competition at the World Cup.
“It felt surreal and unbelievable to qualify for the SEA Games. It has been one of my dreams to qualify for SEA Games since I started fencing competitively. I was not expecting to do well as my national ranking dropped when I injured my wrist during the preparation for the last overseas competition for the selection of SEA Games. Despite that, all I could think was about giving my best for the rest of the competitions I played in and surprisingly, I managed to boost my ranking to the top 4. I hope to do well with my teammates and continue to defend the gold medal we won at the last Games,” said Bron.
Name: Nadhrah Sahrin
Age: 19
Sport: Pencak Silat
Nadhrah Sahrin comes from a family of Pencak Silat exponents. Out of her five siblings, four of them have been training in Pencak Silat since young. As the third child in the family, she admired her older siblings who were already in the sport and followed their footsteps. Three of her siblings are still in Sports School, with the youngest in Secondary 2.
She started training at 9 years old and has not looked back since. She joined Sports School as she wanted to excel in sports and studies.
She missed the last SEA Games as her weight class category was not part of the competition. However, she looked at the lost opportunity as a chance for her to better prepare herself for the upcoming SEA Games. She shared, “I feel happy, nervous, and also excited to be given the opportunity to compete in the SEA Games. This SEA Games means a lot to me since it’s my dream to represent Singapore in the SEA Games and especially because it’s my first one.”
On her preparation for the Games, she shared, “Every training session is important as it teaches me how I can improve on my skills and sharpen my techniques. Overall, I hope to clinch a gold medal, but my target is to focus on the process and use my experience from previous competitions in SEA Games to be the better version of myself,” she said.
Name: Lim Wan Ting
Age: 17
Sport: Triathlon
2023 has been a memorable year for Lim Wan Ting, who has had a fresh start in sports and studies. Just this year, Wan Ting made the move to transfer from Swimming to Triathlon and started her IBDP studies.
The former Woodlands Primary School student joined Sports School in 2019 to pursue her dreams of being able to represent Singapore in swimming competitions at Major Games. It was a bold step in the right direction as Wan Ting has achieved her dream by qualifying for SEA Games in 2023. Her love and passion for swimming led her to explore Triathlon, which combines her strength in swimming and her interest in running. While Wan Ting admits that cycling may not be her strongest area, she enjoys Triathlon as she can use her different interests and strengths within a race.
Elated that she has been given the opportunity to represent Singapore at the SEA Games, Wan Ting shared, “It feels so unreal how I am able to be selected for the team as I have just recently transited into this new sport of aquathlon/triathlon despite having only the base of swimming. However, I also feel extremely happy that I can attain my dream of representing Singapore at the SEA Games, although I may not be competing in it as a swimmer. I am forever thankful for all the different types of support I have received, which led me towards this path.”
On her goals for the SEA Games, Wan Ting said, “My goal is to be able to podium at the SEA Games with my relay teammates so that I can sing the national anthem proudly. I would also like to gain new experiences from it so that I can be a better athlete and make improvements in my next race. Also, I remind myself that I should enjoy the process, no matter the outcome.”
