Our Olympic Heroes
Paris Olympics 2024
Eight past and present student-athletes are at the pinnacle sporting event, the Paris Olympics 2024, held from 26 July to 11 August 2024. They are part of the 23-member Team Singapore contingent, who will be representing the nation in 11 sports. Four of them have etched their names in history as they make their Olympic debut. Let’s meet our Olympians and look back at their progress at the Olympics.
Amita Berthier
Fencing
The Paris Olympics 2024 is Amita Berthier’s second representation at the Olympic Games. However, this edition in Paris is extra special for the fencer as she earned direct qualification.
She made history in 2022 by becoming the first Singaporean fencer to qualify outright for the Olympics in Tokyo after winning the Asia-Oceania Olympic Qualification Tournament in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Amita’s Paris Olympics campaign ended after her first bout against World No.11 Lauren Scruggs which she narrowly lost 13-15. She caused a scare to her opponent when she overturned an early four-point deficit to lead 12-9 before the scores were tied.
Since 2018, Amita has been training in the United States, having enrolled at the University of Notre Dame. That same year, she reached another milestone by becoming the world’s top junior fencer in Women’s Foil. She is a three-time SEA Games champion, and in 2021, she became the first Singaporean to win an NCAA fencing title after she and her University of Notre Dame teammates competed in the team event.
Izaac Quek Yong
Table Tennis
Current student-athlete Izaac Quek Yong has made his Olympic debut at the Paris 2024 Olympics at just 18 years old. The SEA Games triple gold-medallist secured his spot in the Olympics by winning the Men’s Singles event at the 2024 Southeast Asia Qualification Tournament in Bangkok, Thailand, where he defeated Thailand’s Phakpoom Sanguansin. This accomplishment makes Izaac the youngest Singaporean table tennis player to qualify for the Olympics.
Originally aiming for the 2028 Olympics, Izaac's rapid improvement over the past year allowed him to achieve his goal much sooner. His dedication and hard work paid off, turning his dream into a reality. He bowed out of the Olympics after being defeated in his debut match by Slovenia’s 18th-ranked Darko Jorgic, who eventually won 4-2 (8-11, 11-4, 11-8, 13-11, 3-11, 11-7).
Izaac's journey in table tennis began as a co-curricular activity in primary school. By the age of 10, he was already competing in age-group tournaments. His passion for the sport led him to join Sports School in Secondary 1, where he committed to pursuing table tennis professionally.
Jessica Tan and Terry Hee
Badminton
Alumni Jessica Tan and Terry Hee were fortunate to punch their tickets to Paris after Oceania champions from Australia did not take up their spot for the Mixed Doubles tournament. This is the first Olympic Games for the husband and wife mixed duo.
Prior to their Olympics debut, their best achievement to date was clinching the Commonwealth Games gold medal in Mixed Doubles at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
At the Olympic Games, the world no.17-ranked pair lost to higher-ranking opponents in their first two matches – the world no.9 pair from Malaysia and the world no.2 duo from China. They experienced their first Olympic Games win in their third match against the United States. As they placed 3rd in their group, they did not advance to the quarter-finals.
Loh Kean Yew
Badminton
Loh Kean Yew gained widespread recognition when he became the first Singaporean to win the World Championship title in 2021. This was also the first time an unseeded male player had won the title since 2013. His victory catapulted him to fame, making him a household name in Singapore.
Since that monumental win, Kean Yew's career has continued to flourish.
Kean Yew made his Olympic debut in Tokyo, where he was the flag bearer for Team Singapore. Currently ranked world No.10 in the BWF world rankings, he is representing Singapore for the second time at the Paris 2024 Olympics in the Men’s Singles event. He won 2-0 in his first 2024 Olympics match against his Czech opponent. Kean Yew topped his group and reached the round of 16 after winning El Savador's Uriel Canjura. He is the first male shuttler to reach the knockout stages since 2004.
Shanti Pereira
Track and Field
Sprint queen Shanti Pereira has become a national icon and inspiration to all Singaporeans after an incredible 2023. She kept eclipsing her performance at each competition, winning medals at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, Asian Athletics Championships and Asian Games, and breaking the 100m national mark six times and 200m national record six times in the year. Her achievements have led her to be named The Straits Times Athlete of the Year 2023.
Shanti will be representing Singapore at the Olympic Games for the second time. She qualified for the 200m after meeting the Olympic qualification standard, which is a first for Shanti who took part at the Tokyo Olympics through universality places. Shanti will also be taking part in the 100m at the Paris Olympics after she qualified by virtue of her world ranking. Her races begin on 2 August 2024.
Yeo Jia Min
Badminton
Second-time Olympian Yeo Jia Min topped her group and is the first Singaporean shuttler to progress to the knockout stages since the 2012 London Olympics. Jia Min has had a good run at the Olympics, with comfortable wins at the group stage. In her opening game against Iran-born Dorsa Yavarivafa of the Refugee Olympic team, Jia Min cruised to a 21-7, 21-8 win. She dispatched Mauritius' Kate Foo Kune 21-12, 21-6 in just 26 minutes in her next match, which placed her at the top of her group. Jia Min will play her next match against Japan on 1 August 2024.
Jia Min is a former World Junior No.1 and the first Singaporean in either the junior or senior categories. She has earned several SEA Games medals and the joint bronze medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. She also represented Singapore at the Tokyo Olympics, but was eliminated in the group stages. She has been having a good run in 2024 with better and stronger performances, and hopes to continue giving her 100 per cent at the Paris Olympics 2024.
Zhou Jingyi
Table Tennis
Paddler Zhou Jingyi made her Olympic debut at 19 years old. She is the youngest Singapore-born table tennis paddler to qualify for Women’s Singles at the Olympics. Jingyi, who decided to play table tennis full-time after Secondary 4, competed in her first Major Games only two years ago. Her first major competition was the SEA Games, where she won two silver medals for Women’s Team and Women’s Doubles events. In the same year, she won a team gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
In an interview with The Straits Times, Jingyi shared, “My mindset for the Olympics is to focus on each match and gain experience and exposure on this unique stage. I intend to approach my matches with the same mentality as any other competition and to perform to the best of my abilities.” Jingyi put up a good fight in her match against Romania’s 10th-ranked Bernadette Szocs but lost 4-1 (9-11, 11-4, 11-3, 11-7, 11-9). Her opponent lauded her as a ‘fighter’ as Jingyi won the opening match despite nursing a knee injury.
Eight past and present student-athletes are at the pinnacle sporting event, the Paris Olympics 2024, held from 26 July to 11 August 2024. They are part of the 23-member Team Singapore contingent, who will be representing the nation in 11 sports. Four of them have etched their names in history as they make their Olympic debut. Let’s meet our Olympians and look back at their progress at the Olympics.
Amita Berthier
Fencing
Photo Credit: Singapore National Olympic Council
She made history in 2022 by becoming the first Singaporean fencer to qualify outright for the Olympics in Tokyo after winning the Asia-Oceania Olympic Qualification Tournament in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Amita’s Paris Olympics campaign ended after her first bout against World No.11 Lauren Scruggs which she narrowly lost 13-15. She caused a scare to her opponent when she overturned an early four-point deficit to lead 12-9 before the scores were tied.
Since 2018, Amita has been training in the United States, having enrolled at the University of Notre Dame. That same year, she reached another milestone by becoming the world’s top junior fencer in Women’s Foil. She is a three-time SEA Games champion, and in 2021, she became the first Singaporean to win an NCAA fencing title after she and her University of Notre Dame teammates competed in the team event.
Izaac Quek Yong
Table Tennis
Photo Credit: Singapore National Olympic Council
Originally aiming for the 2028 Olympics, Izaac's rapid improvement over the past year allowed him to achieve his goal much sooner. His dedication and hard work paid off, turning his dream into a reality. He bowed out of the Olympics after being defeated in his debut match by Slovenia’s 18th-ranked Darko Jorgic, who eventually won 4-2 (8-11, 11-4, 11-8, 13-11, 3-11, 11-7).
Izaac's journey in table tennis began as a co-curricular activity in primary school. By the age of 10, he was already competing in age-group tournaments. His passion for the sport led him to join Sports School in Secondary 1, where he committed to pursuing table tennis professionally.
Jessica Tan and Terry Hee
Badminton
Photo Credit: Singapore National Olympic Council
Prior to their Olympics debut, their best achievement to date was clinching the Commonwealth Games gold medal in Mixed Doubles at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
At the Olympic Games, the world no.17-ranked pair lost to higher-ranking opponents in their first two matches – the world no.9 pair from Malaysia and the world no.2 duo from China. They experienced their first Olympic Games win in their third match against the United States. As they placed 3rd in their group, they did not advance to the quarter-finals.
Loh Kean Yew
Badminton
Photo Credit: Singapore National Olympic Council
Since that monumental win, Kean Yew's career has continued to flourish.
Kean Yew made his Olympic debut in Tokyo, where he was the flag bearer for Team Singapore. Currently ranked world No.10 in the BWF world rankings, he is representing Singapore for the second time at the Paris 2024 Olympics in the Men’s Singles event. He won 2-0 in his first 2024 Olympics match against his Czech opponent. Kean Yew topped his group and reached the round of 16 after winning El Savador's Uriel Canjura. He is the first male shuttler to reach the knockout stages since 2004.
Shanti Pereira
Track and Field
Photo Credit: Singapore National Olympic Council
Shanti will be representing Singapore at the Olympic Games for the second time. She qualified for the 200m after meeting the Olympic qualification standard, which is a first for Shanti who took part at the Tokyo Olympics through universality places. Shanti will also be taking part in the 100m at the Paris Olympics after she qualified by virtue of her world ranking. Her races begin on 2 August 2024.
Yeo Jia Min
Badminton
Photo Credit: Singapore National Olympic Council
Jia Min is a former World Junior No.1 and the first Singaporean in either the junior or senior categories. She has earned several SEA Games medals and the joint bronze medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. She also represented Singapore at the Tokyo Olympics, but was eliminated in the group stages. She has been having a good run in 2024 with better and stronger performances, and hopes to continue giving her 100 per cent at the Paris Olympics 2024.
Zhou Jingyi
Table Tennis
Photo Credit: Singapore National Olympic Council
In an interview with The Straits Times, Jingyi shared, “My mindset for the Olympics is to focus on each match and gain experience and exposure on this unique stage. I intend to approach my matches with the same mentality as any other competition and to perform to the best of my abilities.” Jingyi put up a good fight in her match against Romania’s 10th-ranked Bernadette Szocs but lost 4-1 (9-11, 11-4, 11-3, 11-7, 11-9). Her opponent lauded her as a ‘fighter’ as Jingyi won the opening match despite nursing a knee injury.
