In Pursuit Of Sporting Dreams
Annabel Pennefather Excellence Award
Nur Insyirah Khan Abdul Hamid Khan
Badminton
Nur Insyirah Khan Abdul Hamid Khan had a smashing year with podium finishes at local and major international competitions. She started 2022 by being crowned the Women’s Singles national champion at the Singapore Sports Hub National Championships. It boosted her confidence to be part of the team that represented Singapore at the 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games and the 22nd Commonwealth Games.
Insyirah went to her first SEA Games in 2017 when she was 16 years old, and was the youngest player in the Badminton contingent then. She clinched a team bronze medal at her debut SEA Games. She has been consistently working hard in her game, and has ensured that she has kept her form to earn a place in the Team Singapore contingent at the 31st SEA Games. This time she returned with two bronze medals for Women’s Doubles and Women’s Team.
She also participated in the Women’s Singles event at the 22nd Commonwealth Games for the first time, but did not advance to the quarter-finals. Nonetheless, Insyirah returned with a medal after the Mixed Team secured a bronze. She also won a gold at the Singapore National Open and a bronze at the Swedish Open in the Women’s Singles event. Most recently, Insyirah retained her title as the national Women’s Singles champion in the 2023 edition of the Singapore Sports Hub National Championships.
On receiving the award, Insyirah said, “I would like to thank Singapore Sports School for instilling good character in me. This has helped me to become a role model student-athlete today. I am very grateful and honoured to be receiving this award.”
Besides Sports School, another major influence and inspiration for Insyirah has been her father. Her father, Hamid Khan, is an Olympian who represented Singapore at the 1992 Games. Insyirah took up badminton because of her father, and was coached by him throughout her primary school days. She made good progress when she was in primary school under his tutelage. She joined Singapore Sports School in 2014 after completing her primary school education, and graduated in 2022 after completing her extended Diploma in Business Studies course.
Since graduating last year, she has been playing badminton full-time. Her goals are to break into the Top 30 in ranking by the end of the year and earn qualification to represent Singapore at the 2024 Olympic Games.
Fernel Tan Qian Ni
Shooting
National shooter Fernel Tan Qian Ni has set her targets and is gunning for glory. She had an outstanding 2022, which saw her hit milestones in both her sports and studies.
At the ISSF World Cup in March 2022, Fernel put up an excellent performance, ranking 30th and helping the Women’s Team secure a bronze medal. She maintained her good form when she made her Southeast Asian (SEA) Games debut at the 31st edition in 2022 in Hanoi, Vietnam, and returned with two medals in her first outing. She won silver for the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team, and contributed to a bronze medal for the Women’s Team. She also recorded her best performance yet in 2022, ranking 16th in the ISSF World Championships.
Fernel achieved several other podium finishes at local and international competitions. As a result, she was added to the list of elite spexScholars in 2022 to receive additional support to help her optimise her performance. Her most recent achievement was at the ISSF World Cup Jarkata in January 2023 where she won a team silver for the 10m Air Rifle event.
Fernel’s interest in Shooting grew when she saw her sister and Olympian Adele Tan Qian Xiu take up the Learn-To-Shoot programme and develop further as a shooter and an individual in Sports School. Fernel decided to follow in her sister’s footsteps and has made a name for herself with her hard work and dedication.
The current first-year Business Management student at the Singapore Management University hopes to qualify for the Asian Games and make the Olympic dream come true for herself.
Nur Insyirah Khan Abdul Hamid Khan
Badminton
Nur Insyirah Khan Abdul Hamid Khan had a smashing year with podium finishes at local and major international competitions. She started 2022 by being crowned the Women’s Singles national champion at the Singapore Sports Hub National Championships. It boosted her confidence to be part of the team that represented Singapore at the 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games and the 22nd Commonwealth Games.
Insyirah went to her first SEA Games in 2017 when she was 16 years old, and was the youngest player in the Badminton contingent then. She clinched a team bronze medal at her debut SEA Games. She has been consistently working hard in her game, and has ensured that she has kept her form to earn a place in the Team Singapore contingent at the 31st SEA Games. This time she returned with two bronze medals for Women’s Doubles and Women’s Team.
She also participated in the Women’s Singles event at the 22nd Commonwealth Games for the first time, but did not advance to the quarter-finals. Nonetheless, Insyirah returned with a medal after the Mixed Team secured a bronze. She also won a gold at the Singapore National Open and a bronze at the Swedish Open in the Women’s Singles event. Most recently, Insyirah retained her title as the national Women’s Singles champion in the 2023 edition of the Singapore Sports Hub National Championships.
On receiving the award, Insyirah said, “I would like to thank Singapore Sports School for instilling good character in me. This has helped me to become a role model student-athlete today. I am very grateful and honoured to be receiving this award.”
Besides Sports School, another major influence and inspiration for Insyirah has been her father. Her father, Hamid Khan, is an Olympian who represented Singapore at the 1992 Games. Insyirah took up badminton because of her father, and was coached by him throughout her primary school days. She made good progress when she was in primary school under his tutelage. She joined Singapore Sports School in 2014 after completing her primary school education, and graduated in 2022 after completing her extended Diploma in Business Studies course.
Since graduating last year, she has been playing badminton full-time. Her goals are to break into the Top 30 in ranking by the end of the year and earn qualification to represent Singapore at the 2024 Olympic Games.
Fernel Tan Qian Ni
Shooting
National shooter Fernel Tan Qian Ni has set her targets and is gunning for glory. She had an outstanding 2022, which saw her hit milestones in both her sports and studies.
At the ISSF World Cup in March 2022, Fernel put up an excellent performance, ranking 30th and helping the Women’s Team secure a bronze medal. She maintained her good form when she made her Southeast Asian (SEA) Games debut at the 31st edition in 2022 in Hanoi, Vietnam, and returned with two medals in her first outing. She won silver for the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team, and contributed to a bronze medal for the Women’s Team. She also recorded her best performance yet in 2022, ranking 16th in the ISSF World Championships.
Fernel achieved several other podium finishes at local and international competitions. As a result, she was added to the list of elite spexScholars in 2022 to receive additional support to help her optimise her performance. Her most recent achievement was at the ISSF World Cup Jarkata in January 2023 where she won a team silver for the 10m Air Rifle event.
Fernel’s interest in Shooting grew when she saw her sister and Olympian Adele Tan Qian Xiu take up the Learn-To-Shoot programme and develop further as a shooter and an individual in Sports School. Fernel decided to follow in her sister’s footsteps and has made a name for herself with her hard work and dedication.
The current first-year Business Management student at the Singapore Management University hopes to qualify for the Asian Games and make the Olympic dream come true for herself.
