Top Athletes at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics

Top Athletes at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics

Have you ever wondered: Who are the top Singaporeans featuring at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics? Of course, Singapore has truly come a long way in its quest to win the most coveted Olympic medals ever since the days of Tan Howe Liang, who won a historic weightlifting medal in the 1960 Rome Olympics.

Later, the women's table tennis won the silver medal at the Beijing Olympics. Singaporean swimmer Joseph Schooling also made history in the Rome Olympics when he won the country's first-ever gold medal. He broke the records with this 100 meters butterfly race. As the world got ready for the Tokyo Olympics that started in July 2021, Singapore sent a strong 23-athletes contingent. The Singapore team was set to compete in a record-breaking 12 games. Among these are fencing, diving and equestrian debutants. Would you like to know the top athletes who made the team? Here's the list:

Shanti Pereira (24 years)

Shanti Pereira was set to compete in the women's 200 m race (athletics). Shanti was the only athlete from Singapore who would compete in the track and field event at this Olympics. How did she get there? Well, Singaporean officials handed the youthful athlete a universality ticket or wildcard. Shanti held the national record for both the women's 200m and 100 m races. Earlier on in 2015, the athlete had achieved a specular 200 m qualification mark at the SEA games. She also won the country's first sprint gold medal in the SEA biennial event in a period of 42 years.

Tan Sze En

Tan Sze En was set to make his Olympics debut at the Tokyo Games. The 20-year-old athlete, who is a gymnast, battled injuries ahead of the 2017 SEA games. She later suffered a fracture of the left ankle during training. One year later, the athlete had surgery immediately after the Asian Games. She just trained for three months before the start of the 2019 world championships. Tan Sze En eventually secured her Olympic place in an epic show when she attained the required mark in the all-around event.

Loh Kean Yew

Loh Kean Yew, 24 years, competes in the men's single event. This is Singapore's top-ranking badminton player. He's ranked no 42 in the world. He was set to make the debut in the Tokyo Olympics, featuring alongside Yeo Jia Min, his fellow teammate. Loh Kean Yew is originally from Penang in Malaysia but later moved over to join his brother, Kean Hean, to pursue studies in the sports discipline. Later, Loh Kean Yew enrolled at the Singapore Sports School and successfully applied for Singaporean citizenship. He won honours at the 2015, 2017 and 2019 SEA Games. Loh Kean Yew memorably performed a giant-slaying feat when he defeated former world No. 1 Lin Dan (China) in the 2019 Thailand Masters finals.

Amita Berthier, 20

Amita competes in the women's foil event. He was the first Singaporean fencer to make it to the Tokyo Olympics when she floored Uzbekistan's Yana Alborova in the women's foil final event at the Asia-Oceania Tournament. Anita is a former junior World No. 1.

Yeo Jia Min, 22

Yeo competes in the women's' singles event and is currently ranked No. 30 in the world. She's a former world No. I who wants to make a big mark at the biggest sports event of its kind. At the 2017 Asian Junior Championships, Yeo won a bronze medal. She later added three bronze medals to her crown at the 2015, 2017 and 2019 SEA Games.

Kiria Tikanah Abdul Rahman, 21

Kiria competes at the women's epee event. She is the reigning champion at the SEA Games. Kiria excited Singaporeans when she made a double-digit performance, upstaging higher-ranked athletes, to earn her Olympics slot at the Tokyo Games qualification event. She's currently ranked No. 207 in the world.

Jonathan Chan, 24

Jonathan Chan competes in the men's 10m platform event. Two years earlier, Chan won first place with an epic performance and earned the right to represent Singapore at the Tokyo Olympics. Chan kicked off her sporting career as a budding gymnast at the age of 5 years. Later on, Chan and her sister Kimberly both switched to the dividing competition in 2010.