7 things to know about indoor skydiver Kai Minejima-Lee

SINGAPORE - At just 16 years of age, Kai Minejima-Lee scored

a four-gold medal sweep at the recent FlySpot Polish Open of Indoor Skydiving

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The Singaporean teenager triumphed in all four categories that he entered – the solo speed, freestyle open, dynamic two-way and dynamic four-way – to become the most successful athlete in the competition, which featured 232 athletes from 22 countries.

Here are some fun facts that you may not have known about the indoor skydiving talent.

1. Mixed heritage and multi-lingual

Kai has a Singaporean father and Japanese mother. His mixed heritage has led him to pick up English, Mandarin, and Japanese, noting that it was important for him to stay connected to his roots. He is also learning French.

2. Mr Miyagi Junior

Kai’s father, Benjamin, is also known as popular blogger Mr Miyagi. The 56-year-old, who previously entertained followers with his witty takes on life in Singapore, expanded into comedy and become a playwright, serving as the chief storyteller at Telling Stories. He now works as the head of commercial & marketing at Beach House Pictures.

3. Starting the sport young

Kai’s interest in indoor skydiving began when he was three. As the minimum age requirement to enter the wind tunnel was seven, he had to wait four years for his first indoor skydive experience. On his seventh birthday, he finally took flight.

4. He is homeschooled

In order for Kai to fully channel his time and energy into the sport, he is homeschooled. This allows him the flexibility to train in and out of the wind tunnel, travel for competitions, choreograph new routines, and improve his physical performance.

5. Inspired by a kitefoiler

Kai takes inspiration from fellow teen athlete Maximilian Maeder, who clinched a kitefoiling bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Kai told the Straits Times: “His path has been quite similar to mine and seeing that he’s able to achieve all these things really pushes me to go for my goals even harder.”

6. Sportsboy of the Year

In June, Kai was named the Sportsboy of the Year at the 2025 Singapore Sports Awards for his accomplishments. He won double golds at the Windobona Madrid Open, and was triumphant at the World Cup of Indoor Skydiving in Macau. In total, he won 16 medals in 2024 – 10 of which were gold.

7. Aiming for Olympics

Kai’s dream is to compete at the Olympics. While indoor skydiving is currently not contested on the world’s biggest stage, he hopes to keep pushing and growing the sport’s popularity at home and around the world.