The success of Singapore's sailors were celebrated for the second month in a row on Friday, when para-sailors Jovin Tan and Yap Qian Yin were awarded joint winners of The Straits Times Star of the Month award for October.

The duo bagged the honours for winning gold in the double-handed Hansa 303 keelboat event at the Asian Para Games in Incheon, South Korea, last month, the first time Singapore had triumphed at the Games, which was first held in 2010.

The award is an extension of ST's Athlete of the Year accolade, launched in 2008. Both are backed by F&N's 100Plus.

Despite a partnership that was only a year old, the pair were dominant throughout the event, winning seven out of the nine races. Said Tan, 28: "I won't say that it was an easy regatta. It was a new environment, new conditions, and Qian Yin had never been to such high-level competitions before."

Added Qian Yin, 24: "I hope that with this achievement, I'll be able to help inspire other girls out there, that we're able to do a lot more and sometimes we can be even better than the guys."