Team Singapore at the Tokyo Paralympics: Who and what to look out for
SINGAPORE: With Japan having successfully hosted the Olympic Games, attending at present shifts to another gathering of earth-course competitors who will presently converge on its capital urban center of Tokyo.
About four,400 athletes are expected to compete at the Paralympic Games, which will open on Tuesday (Aug 24) and end on Sep 5. And just similar the Olympics, fans will be banned from attending the Paralympics due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with Tokyo remaining nether a state of emergency.
Team Singapore is sending 10 athletes across six sports, equalling the number of sports Singapore participated in at the final edition of the Paralympics. In addition, four of the 10 will be making their debuts.
Speaking to CNA on Tuesday (Aug 17) before she left for Tokyo two days later, chef de mission Shirley Low said that the mood among the athletes was "upbeat". Team Singapore'southward contingent left in twobatches, with the beginning group flight off on Thursday and the 2nd on Sunday.
"The mood generally is good. They (the athletes) are positive, they are staying very focused," she said. "Nosotros are almost at the starting block."
Hither's what we tin await alee to for Squad Singapore at the Tokyo Paralympics:
i. Singapore's most decorated Paralympian takes to the puddle
Swimmer Yip Pin Xiu's success in the pool is unparalleled. The 29-year-onetime made history at the last edition of the Paralympics when she won two aureate medals in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Competing in the women'due south 100m backstroke S2, Yip set a earth record fourth dimension of 2:07.09. Her split up timing of 59.38 in the kickoff lap of the result was too a world record fourth dimension. Both earth records withal stand today.
A week later, Yip would become on to win the 50m backstroke S2 result and became the offset Singaporean to win two golds at the Paralympics.
Prior to her triumph in Rio, Yip wrote her name in the history books when she became the first Singaporean to reach aureate at the Paralympics after winning the 50m backstroke S3 upshot at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics. She also has a number of Earth Championships and Asian Para Games medals to her name. Apart from her achievements in the pool, Yip, who was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy as a kid, is also a former Nominated Fellow member of Parliament.
Singapore'due south most decorated Paralympian will compete in both the 50m and 100m S2 events in Tokyo, at what will be her fourth Paralympics outing.
two. A earth-form archer aims high
Another potential medal hope for Singapore is archer Nur Syahidah Alim, who is currently ranked second in the compound women open individual world rankings. The 36-yr-sometime boasts a stellar resume, having been the outset Singaporean to go a world champion in para-archery later she won gold at the 2022 Globe Archery Para Championship. Later that year, she as well clinched gold at the 2019 Asian Para Archery Championships in Bangkok.
She topped the world rankings in October 2022 and was just recently pipped to the top spot by Briton Jessica Stretton, who is the reigning Paralympics defending champion.
This will be Syahidah's 2d Paralympics outing, later on she was eliminated in the quarterfinals at the 2022 Games.
3. Some familiar faces and other new ones
The Paralympics are a familiar matter to Singapore'due south equestrians Laurentia Tan, Gemma Foo and Maximilian Soh.Tan for one, has won multiple medals at the Paralympics – taking home two bronzes in the 2008 Games and a silver and a bronze in the subsequent edition. Foo and Soh also competed in both the 2022 Games also as the 2022 Games.
This volition be the quaternary Games for Tan, who will partner Foo and Maximillian Tan for the trio's third Paralympic participation in the dressage squad upshot.Singapore's flagbearer at the Tokyo Games volition be Muhammad Diroy Noordin, who will characteristic for the second time after he competed in the men's shot put F40 and javelin F41 events at the Rio Games.
There will be Games debuts for powerlifter Nur'Aini Mohamad Yasli, cyclist Steve Tee, as well as swimmers Toh Wei Soong and Sophie Shortly.
Noting that athletes' preparations for the Games have been disrupted past the pandemic, Ms Low noted that the objectives for each may be different, and the targets are not necessarily a podium end.
"Everyone has overcome (adversity) in some manner. They are very resilient, I'chiliad personally very impressed by every one of them," she said.
"We look our athletes to be performing at their best, to try their all-time. Then whatever medals we go volition certainly be a sweetener, would exist a bonus."
COVID-xix cases in Tokyo have hit unprecedented highs over the last month, with the city now registering a seven-day average of about iv,700 new cases a day, shut to a new peak set last week.
The Japanese government'south land of emergency declaration last month has not curbed the spread of the virus, and these restrictions were further extended last week. The state of emergency is now due to stop on Sep 12.
On the other hand, the number of cases associated with the Olympics has not exploded every bit some expected.
As of Dominicus, a full of 547 cases associated with the Games were recorded by organisers. These include athletes, volunteers and media amidst others. Held in a bubble, athletes were required to undergo daily testing and were just allowed to travel between competition venues and their accommodation at the Games Village. Similar arrangements volition exist made for Paralympians.
And equally with the Olympians, Singapore'scontingent headed to the Paralympics will have boosted precautions above what have been outlined past the Tokyo 2022 organisers, the Singapore National Paralympic Council said previously. Among other measures, a ll in the contingent are fully vaccinated against COVID-nineteen and have also undergone an additional influenza vaccination.
Ms Depression noted that there will be no changes to the precautionary measures put into place past Team Singapore despite the ascent numbers of cases in Tokyo and Japan. However, she emphasised the need for the contingent to "stay vigilant and disciplined" during their time there.
"Tokyo (2020) has washed quite a good chore. At the same time, we – Singapore itself, the squad Singapore support structure – have also come up with a lot of other measures ... I can't recollect of annihilation more nosotros can exercise, nosotros just have to continue and be disciplined," she said.
As Singapore's Paralympic Network, Mediacorp will be bringing y'all daily highlights and coverage of Team Singapore at the Tokyo 2022 Paralympic Games across its platforms. Become to mediacorp.sg/tokyo2020 for more details now.
Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/sport/team-singapore-tokyo-paralympics-who-and-what-look-out-276951
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