Singapore win 5 out of 9 golds at Asian Indoor Skydiving Championships

SINGAPORE – They were made to wait, but sisters Kyra and Vera Poh finally tasted glory as an indoor skydiving pair at the Sept 17-20 FAI Asian Indoor Skydiving Championships in Indonesia.

Kyra, 24, and Vera, 17, were gearing up to compete together in world-level indoor skydiving events for the first time in 2024, but those plans were scuppered after Kyra injured her ankle and was ruled out of action for over a year.

They reunited at April’s FAI World Cup of Indoor Skydiving where they won silver in the two-way dynamic open event.

In Bogor last week, the sisters went one better in the same event to win gold at the Asian Championships.

The six-strong Singapore contingent snagged five of nine golds on offer at the second edition of the Asian competition, which each athlete taking home at least one medal from the total tally of 11.

Vera emerged Singapore’s most decorated athlete at the competition, winning a medal in every event in which she competed, but it was the title with her sister that was the sweetest. They finished ahead of defending champions and compatriots Jordan Lee and Isabelle Koh.

Vera, who is studying fashion design at LASALLE College of the Arts, said: “I won silver in this event at the last Asian Championships (in April 2024, partnering Kai Minejima-Lee) while Kyra was recovering from a broken ankle, so to come back two years later and win gold together with her makes it even more special.

“I always try my best, knowing that my family loves me and will always be there to support me. That gives me confidence to just enjoy the competition and give it everything I have.”

Vera also clinched golds in the junior solo speed and four-way dynamic (with Kyra, Kai and Choo Yi Xuan) events, as well as a bronze in the four-way vertical formation skydiving alongside Kyra, Lee and Choo, in what was Singapore’s first time fielding a team in the event.

While Lee settled for silver in the two-way dynamic, he had a run to remember in the solo speed open as he pipped teammate Kai to gold in Lee’s first time competing in the event.

The full-time national serviceman, 22, said he favoured a riskier approach because he “had a lot to prove” and “didn’t want to play it safe”.

“It paid off, and I’m really proud of what we achieved,” he said. “There’s still a lot for me to learn, but this gives me a lot of confidence for what’s ahead.”

Reigning World Cup champion Kai still enjoyed individual success, retaining his solo freestyle open title ahead of Kyra and South Korea’s Yu Hyun-jae.

The 17-year-old said: “Defending (the title) here feels even better, especially with Kyra competing this time.

“She’s trained and coached me before, so having her in the competition definitely added some pressure, but also made winning it more special. I’m really happy with how I flew and proud to (successfully) defend the title.”

The line-up of Choo, the Poh sisters and Kai is also the same one that won the same event – which requires four flyers to perform together at speeds of over 275kmh – at the World Indoor Skydiving Championships in April.

In Bogor, the Singapore Army men’s and women’s teams also won a medal each at the Asian meet.

In all, the Republic’s athletes returned from Indonesia with five gold medals, four silvers and two bronze medals, an improvement from the last edition in Macau in 2024 (three golds, two silvers and one bronze).

The fraternity hopes their success will give indoor skydiving boost in its bid to be included in the 2029 SEA Games on home soil.

Kyra, 24, who picked up the sport when she was eight, was proud to see more Singapore representatives across the various categories.

She said: “We’re seeing Singapore compete across speed, freestyle, dynamic and now vertical formation, while more Asian teams are stepping into these categories too. That’s a really positive sign for where indoor skydiving is heading in the region.

“We’ve been building this programme for a long time, and I really hope we can see indoor skydiving included in the 2029 SEA Games. Having the sport on that stage would be a huge milestone for the athletes and for the growth of indoor skydiving across South-east Asia.”

Lawrence Koh, founder and chief executive of AltitudeX (formerly known as iFly Singapore), noted that the results reflect the growing strength of the sport’s pathway in Singapore.

He said: “Seeing Singapore athletes face one another in three finals shows how much depth we have developed through years of training, mentorship and mutual support.

“From established champions to young flyers beginning their international journeys, every generation strengthens the next.

“AltitudeX is proud to support this community, and we will continue creating opportunities for Singapore athletes to train, compete and succeed internationally.”