The 2016 Summer Olympics, Rio 2016, is set to take place in Rio, Brazil this 5th of August! Yes, there may be some bad press clouding the games, but let’s put the negativity aside and support our Singaporean athletes at the world’s most prestigious sporting event! Before that, get to know who’s who and what event they will be competing in. #OneTeamSG
The 25 Singaporeans
1. Feng Tianwei – Table Tennis (Women’s Singles, Women’s Team)
Feng Tianwei is no small character. She and her team mates ended Singapore’s 48-year Olympic medal drought by bringing home a Silver medal at 2008 Beijing Olympics. Four years later, she bagged 2 Bronze medals (Singles and Team) at London, rewriting Singapore’s history at the Olympic Games. At Rio 2016, Tianwei is seeded second for the singles event, her highest ever Olympics-seeding. She’ll be playing on the 6th (Singles) and 12th (Team) of August.
2. Joseph Schooling – Swimming (100m Freestyle, 100m Butterfly, 200m Butterfly)
Dubbed “Singapore’s Swim King”, Rio 2016 will be Joseph Schooling‘s second Olympics participation. There was a lot of pressure on him back in London 2012, but this time round, he is more focused and relaxed. In last year’s SEA Games, he took part in 9 events, bagging all 9 golds and breaking all 9 Games records. Catch Joseph’s amazing form on the following dates: 9th (200m Butterfly), 10th (100m Freestyle), 12th (100m Butterfly) of August.
3. Quah Zheng Wen – Swimming (100m Backstroke, 100m Butterfly, 200m Butterfly)
Quah Zheng Wen may only be 19 years of age but he’s got some serious swimming background to boast about. At the Southeast Asian Games last year, he took part in 12 events, winning 7 golds, 4 silvers and 1 bronze. On top of that, he also broke 6 Games records (3 individual and 3 relay). You can catch this flying fish in action at Rio 2016 on the following dates: 8th (100m Backstroke), 9th (200m Butterfly), 12th (100m Butterfly) of August.
4. Quah Ting Wen – Swimming (100m Butterfly)
Elder sister to Zheng Wen, Quah Ting Wen is an experienced swimmer having represented Singapore for international events since 2005. She did not have the best season in 2013 but her stellar performance at the SEA Games last year boosted her confidence greatly. Catch Ting Wen fighting for her a-Quah-tic dream on the 7th of August.
5. Timothee Yap – Track & Field (Men’s 100m)
Timothee Yap, who is at Rio 2016 as Singapore’s wildcard entry, will be competing in the 100m Sprint event. He may be 21 years old but he’s determined to write his name in Singapore’s history book. The preliminary round of Men’s 100m Track & Field event will flag off on the 13th of August.
6. Neo Jie Shi – Track & Field (Women’s Marathon)
When she’s not training, Neo Jie Shi is a human resource and admin assistant manager. But when she’s got her running shoes on, she goes all out. Her routine (before and after qualifying for Rio 2016) is fairly simple. She trains after work, one long run followed by one rest day. She clocks in about 70km-80km per week, which is half of a full-timer’s mileage. It’s extremely effective as she went from a recreational runner to an Olympian! Jie Shi’s event will take place on 14th of August.
7. Derek Wong – Badminton (Men’s Singles)
Currently ranked 57 in the world, Singapore’s very own flag-bearer Derek Wong is set for a tough start as he was drawn into the same group as World No.1’s Lee Chong Wei. He will be playing against Suriname’s Soren Opti in first match which is set to take place on the 12th of August before taking on Lee on Sunday. It’s not gonna be easy but do support him as Derek is considering to roll down the curtains after Rio 2016.
8. Liang Xiaoyu – Badminton (Women’s Single)
Some may mistake her as having come from the Foreign Sports Talent Scheme but Liang Xiaoyu actually moved to Singapore with her parents at 10. She attended local schools before transferring to the Singapore Sports School. She may be just 20 years old but she’s remarkably ambitious – she wants to win a world title and become a household name bigger than Ronald Susilo. Xiaoyu will be making her debut at Rio 2016 on the 13th of August!
9. Saiyidah Aisyah – Rowing (Women’s Single Sculls)
Singapore’s rowing community may be small, yet Saiyidah Aisyah was able to row her way to Rio 2016. However, her journey wasn’t all smooth and steady. At one point, her rowing career was swamped by multiple injuries, lack of funding, self doubt, and an excruciating loss in South Korea. Despite all these setbacks, she was able to bounce back and become the first-ever Singaporean rower to qualify for Rio 2016. You go girl!! The Women’s Single Sculls will take place on the 6th of August!
10. Leonard Ong – Sailing (RS:X Windsurfing)
Windsurfing is probably one of the most physically demanding sports and 24-year old windsurfer Leonard Ong is all ready to take his “Ferrari race car” to the seas of Rio de Janeiro. Determined to set waves at Rio 2016, Leonard took the semester off and trained full-time just for the occasion. The Men’s Windsurfing event will take place on the 9th of August.
11. Colin Cheng – Sailing (Laser)
Dubbed the “the top Asian sailor in the men’s laser standard class”, Colin Cheng is not new to the games. He represented Singapore at the 2012 London Olympics, finishing at a stunning 15 out of 49. Competing at the greatest sporting stage may seem glamorous but Colin sacrificed two and a half years of his studies and quality time with family and friends for this very moment. Catch him at the Men’s Laser event which will take place on the 9th of August.
12. Audrey Yong – Sailing (RS:X Windsurfing)
Some compete at the Olympics for the medals and some are there for the experience. But Singapore’s very first female Windsurfer Audrey Yong has a different mission in mind – she wants to inspire other people to pick up the sport. Like the Men’s event, Audrey will be displaying her windsurfing skills on the 9th of August.
13. Elizabeth Yin – Sailing (Laser Radial)
Like every good sailor, Elizabeth Yin sailed hard to put Singapore in the Laser Radial event at Rio 2016. She bagged an impressive result at the World Sailing Championships, making Singapore the 15th-ranked overall nation in the event. Similar to Colin, Elizabeth also competed in the 2012 London Games, finishing in 24th place. The Women’s Laser Radial event will set sail on the 9th of August.
14 & 15. Jovina Choo & Amanda Ng – Sailing (470)
Four years ago, windsurfer Amanda Ng‘s Olympic dream was shattered after she missed out on qualifying for the London 2012. But after switching to the 470 category, she and partner Jovina Choo edged out other Olympic hopefuls to top the Singapore Sailing Federation’s (SSF) selection trials for Rio 2016. They’ve been training at Rio for the past 3 weeks and we’ll get to catch them in action on the 11th of August!
16 & 17. Griselda Khng & Sara Tan – Sailing (49er FX)
While everyone else struggles to lose weight, the 49er FX pair Griselda Khng and Sara Tan actually struggled to gain weight to ensure they achieve the optimal weight to keep the boat as flat as possible on the water! They consume about 4000 calories a day (double of the recommended calorie intake of a regular woman) and burn about 1300 calories per training session. The girls will be making their Olympic debut on the 13th of August.
18 & 19. Justin Liu & Denise Lim – Sailing (Narca 17)
Do you know that Justin Liu and Denise Lim are partners on and off water? Last year, they sailed to victory at the Nacra 17 class at a World Cup leg in China and bagged the one and only Rio 2016 qualifying spot on offer. However, the price they paid was not cheap at all. They had to shell out nearly $100,000 for this dream! A hefty price, but one that is definitely worth it. Catch Justin and Denise in action on the 11th of August.
20. Jasmine Ser – Shooting (10m Air Riffle & 50m Riffle 3 positions)
Jasmine Ser made Singapore proud by bagging a gold medal at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games. She then went on and outshone every other Asian shooter at the Asian Qualifiers despite contracting food poisoning. People say third time’s a charm. Will this be Jasmine’s chance to come home with a medal? She’ll show you what accuracy is all about on the 6th (10m Air Riffle) and 11th (50m Riffle) of August.
21. Teo Shun Xie – Shooting (10m Air Pistol, 25m Pistol)
In 2014, Teo Shun Xie brought home a Gold Medal from the Commonwealth Games. A year later, she repeated a stunning victory at the Southeast Asia Games. Shun Xie will be in position on the 7th (10m Air Pistol) and 9th (25m Pistol) of August.
22. Chen Feng – Table Tennis (Men’s Singles)
A new kid on the block, Chen Feng too will be making his Olympic debut in Ri0 2016. He may not be as experienced or well decorated as other players but he booked his singles spot by winning the Southeast Asian region qualifier by defeating senior ranked team mates Gao Ning and Li Hu. This boy sure is something! Catch him in action this 6th of August.
23. Gao Ning- Table Tennis (Men’s Singles)
You might remember him for his tearful defeat in the Beijing Olympics but Gao Ning who is set for his 3rd Olympics appearance is more mature and armed with experience (steady la!). He has dedicated 12 years of service to the national team and is determined to make a breakthrough at Rio 2016. Catch Gao Ning in action this 6th of August.
24. Yu Mengyu – Table Tennis (Women’s Singles, Women’s Team)
Yu Mengyu may be making her Olympic debut this year but she is extremely well decorated. World Championships, World Cup, Asian Cup, Asian Championship, Asian Games, SEA Games… she’s been on the podiums of these events. Will she add the Olympic medal to her medal collection? We’ll find out on the 6th (Singles) and 12th (Team) of August.
25. Zhou Yihan – Table Tennis (Women’s Team)
Zhou Yi Han may be the youngest on the Table Tennis team but she once pulled the biggest upset in the World Tour history when she and her doubles partner defeated world’s top doubles pair. She also outseeded Tianwei and Mengyu in the SEA Games last year at the doubles category. Will she steer the team to victory? We’ll find out on the 12th of August.
Besides the Opening (6th of August) and Closing Ceremony (22nd of August), Singapore will not be having any live telecast of the Games. But, you can catch sporting highlights, delayed telecast of up to 12 hours of games coverage daily and up-to-the-minute news coverage of Team Singapore’s participation at Rio.
Where to watch the Rio 2016 Games
You can catch the Games LIVE from August 6 to 22 on okto and four other Toggle channels. Toggle is free and no set-top box is needed.
Channel NewsAsia, Channel 5, Channel 8, Suria and Vasantham will be reporting extensively on the Olympics. Alternatively, you can tune in to all Mediacorp radio stations for regular updates throughout the day.
What do you think about Team Singapore? Which event do you want Singapore to win the most? Drop us a comment and let us know!
Header image: Singapore National Olympic Council
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