Team Singapore’s new generation ready to rise in Asian Games in Japan

SINGAPORE – In the Land of the Rising Sun, 304 athletes will fly the Singapore flag in 27 sports at the Sept 19-Oct 4 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya. With nearly two-thirds of the contingent set to make their Games debut, The Straits Times looks at five rising stars aiming to lead Singapore sport into an exciting new era.

Russel Pang (swimming)

The Singapore men’s swimming team are in transition after Olympic champion Joseph Schooling’s retirement in 2024 and veteran Quah Zheng Wen’s decision to put swimming on hold for his post-graduate studies. That leaves only defending 50m butterfly silver medallist Teong Tzen Wei as the senior statesman of the squad.

Russel Pang, who is making his debut at 16, could offer a glimpse of the future.

Already earmarked as Singapore’s rising star in distance swimming, Russel is part of a new generation looking to make its mark in the region.

He announced himself on the international stage last December with a 1,500m freestyle bronze on his SEA Games debut, setting a national record in 15min 28.46sec before lowering it to 15:25.58 at the Commonwealth Games in July.

The Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) student also clocked another national mark in the men’s 800m freestyle (8:04.70) at the Australian Age Championships boys’ 16-year-olds event on April 12.

At the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, Russel is pencilled in for the men’s 200m individual medley, 400m, 800m and 1,500m freestyle and the 4x200m freestyle relay.

The soft-spoken teenager said: “For the Asian Games, (the target) is more of how far I can go in terms of timing rather than focus on placings because there are many big swimmers from like teams like China, Japan and South Korea. It’s more realistic to look at things from a time-based perspective rather than positions.”

Russel, who also made his Commonwealth Games debut in 2026, added that he wants to “be someone who is truly known for being good at your sport”. For inspiration, he looks up to training partner and Singapore distance specialist Gan Ching Hwee, as well as Northern Ireland’s Daniel Wiffen, the 2024 world champion in the 800m and 1,500m freestyle.

He said: “She (Gan) inspires me with the way that she trains. Even during difficult times, and even during days when she’s not feeling her best, she gives it her best during training, and I think that’s something really inspiring.”

Coach Eugene Chia, who also trains Gan, said: “I can see him probably emulating something like what Ching Hwee has done: qualifying for the Olympics or even a finalist at world championships in the future. But he needs the time because he’s still really young… and male swimmers tend to peak slightly later than female swimmers.”

Justin Saik (water polo)

The 17-year-old is also looking to make a splash as part of Singapore’s water polo team. Drawn in Group B, Singapore will face South Korea, Iran, and China, while Group A comprises Thailand, Kazakhstan, Japan and Hong Kong.

Justin, a Singapore Sports School student, competed in the 2025 World Aquatics Championships (WCH) on home soil, and secured gold at the SEA Games later that year.

At the Asian Under-18 Water Polo Championships in March, he was named player of the match during Singapore’s dominant 26-5 victory over South Korea in the group stage.

As Singapore aim to return to the podium for the first time since earning bronze at the 1986 Seoul Games, a share of that responsibility will fall on Justin’s young shoulders.

He said: “I definitely feel some pressure, but I would like to see it as an opportunity instead. Being part of the younger generation, I want to help Singapore improve and help us compete at the highest level in Asia.

“My role will be mainly to support the older and more experienced players, giving them opportunities to keep the play going forward, but I also wish to learn from them and gain valuable experience.”

Amanda Yap (gymnastics)

Gymnast Amanda Yap, 16, is another athlete who has burst onto the scene lately.

In July, she clinched a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in the balance beam for Singapore’s first gymnastics medal at the Games since 2014.

That feat followed a historic achievement at the world championships last October, when she became the first Singaporean gymnast to qualify for a final at the event, eventually placing sixth in the balance beam.

In December 2025, she won a silver medal in the same event at the SEA Games, ending Singapore’s 20-year wait for an individual balance beam medal. In a year of achievements, she also won the inaugural The Straits Times Young Singaporean of the Year award in March.

Women’s artistic gymnastics national head coach Georgia-Rose Brown said Amanda “is in a really exciting position right now”, adding that her recent results demonstrate that “Singapore has the ability and capacity to be successful on the international stage in gymnastics”.

Brown added: “She is showing younger gymnasts and athletes across Singapore that with hard work, a positive mindset, strong coaching and the right support network, significant results are achievable.”

Brown said that the main objective for Yap in Aichi-Nagoya is to compete with confidence and reproduce what she has demonstrated in training.

“We don’t want the focus to be solely on a result or placing,” said Brown.

“Each competition is an opportunity for Amanda to build on her previous performances and continue showing what she, and Singapore gymnastics, are capable of. Competing against some of the strongest gymnasts in Asia, particularly from China, Japan and (South) Korea, is always exciting.”

Sofia Anabel Rivas (ju-jitsu)

Ju-jitsu exponent Sofia Anabel Rivas will arrive in Japan for her Asian Games debut on the back of another prominent continental triumph in 2025.

The 18-year-old won gold in the girls’ Under-52kg category at the 2025 Asian Youth Games in Bahrain, in a victory which announced her as one of Singapore’s most exciting young martial arts talents.

Sports runs in the teenager’s family, as her mother Arlene Lim represented Singapore in taekwondo while her older sister Isabel claimed a joint-bronze in the women’s kyorugi (sparring) 46kg event at the 2022 SEA Games.

Introduced to ju-jitsu by her mother when she was just four, Rivas said: “After the Asian Youth Games, I realised that I wanted to take the sport to a higher level. I wanted to compete more seriously and challenge myself, rather than just doing it as a hobby.

“I feel thrilled and excited, but at the same time, there’s definitely some nervousness (going into Asian Games). My main goal is simply to leave everything on the mats and walk away knowing that I gave it my best.”

Marissa Hafezan (karate)

Like Rivas, karate exponent Marissa Hafezan, 20 is also looking to replicate recent gold-medal success.

Her victory in the women’s kumite 55kg at the 2025 SEA Games ended a 32-year-old gold-medal drought in karate at the regional event.

Marissa is one of three karatekas representing Singapore, marking the first time the Republic has fielded athletes in the sport since 2006. Despite the heightened expectations, she views the opportunity as a privilege rather than a source of pressure.

Marissa was born in Singapore and lives in France, where she is reading psychology at La Grande Ecole de psychologie.

“I am proud of what I have achieved, that (SEA Games gold) medal and the story behind it will be a part of me forever and they deserve to be embraced fully.

“It is an honour to be a part of this major milestone for my sport, for my country and I hope to be able to bring pride and joy to myself and to all those who’ve believed and invested themselves in our story,” she said.