Celeste Koay’s silver shines through unconventional fencing journey in National School Games

SINGAPORE – While fencing is not offered as a co-curricular activity at CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’ School, that has not stopped Celeste Koay from winning a silver in the National School Games (NSG) B Division girls’ sabre event at the OCBC Arena on April 23.

The Secondary 4 student, who picked up the sport at the age of six, finished as runner-up after going down 15-7 in the final to Hwa Chong International’s Nicki Wong.

Her NSG journey, which also included a bronze in 2025, has been an unconventional one that was forged mostly through her own initiative, with support from her mum and school.

In Sec 1, she was initially uncertain about participating in the NSG, finding it daunting to compete without any schoolmates by her side.

But things changed in Sec 2, after learning that one of her schoolmates, Leah Wong, is also a fencer. Together, they asked their teachers to sign them up for competition.

Having Leah alongside her made a significant difference.

“I’m very close to her... It’s just the two of us... but you have someone to rely on who can understand you,” the 15-year-old added.

With no teacher-in-charge for fencing, Celeste’s mother stepped in under the School Adult Representative scheme, taking on the responsibility of accompanying and supporting both Celeste and Leah throughout the competition.

This ensured they were able to participate despite the lack of an official school structure.

Balancing her studies with her official CCA, the Infant Jesus Youth Mission, and fencing training has not been easy.

Celeste, who has thrice-weekly training sessions with her club Absolute Fencing, credits her school for being supportive of her commitments.

“They’re quite generous in allocating me time to go for training,” she said.

“Sometimes I have to leave CCA early for fencing, and they allow it, which really helps.”

The joint bronze medallists were Sarah Tan of Singapore Sports School (SSP) and Chew Pang Rae Yan of New Town Secondary School.

Rae Yan, whose bronze was a rare fencing medal for her school, had also won a joint bronze in the C Division girls’ sabre in 2024.

The Sec 4 student said: “I really wanted to win one last medal before stepping down. Everybody (from New Town) was also cheering me on, so I didn’t want to let them down.”

The 15-year-old was fired up by their underdog status, saying: “Neighbourhood schools don’t have as many facilities, so many expect more from schools like Hwa Chong or RI (Raffles Institution).”

Training at New Town, which registered 24 fencers for the NSG, is done under significant constraints, with space for up to only four training stations at a time.

But Rae Yan has also competed on the European cadet circuit with Gladius Fencing Club over the past two years, gaining valuable international exposure that she credits for her NSG performance.

In the B Division boys’ epee final, Hwa Chong Institution’s (HCI) Lucas Wang emerged victorious with a 15-9 victory over RI’s Nathaniel Chan. HCI’s Brian Chan and SSP’s Ethan Tham finished joint-third.

“Finally getting a gold medal is really a relief (after competing in the NSG for four years),” said Lucas, a Sec 4 student.

After finishing seventh in 2025, he drew motivation from his coach at Blade Club, whose constant reminders to go “all the way” stayed with him.

“I wanted to go all the way to the finals from the first round, all the way to the last bout for the gold medal,” said the 16-year-old, who is also a national youth fencer.

In the overall standings, which comprised results for all three weapons – foil, epee and sabre, HCI topped the B Division boys’ category. SSP were second with RI third.

St Margaret’s School claimed the B Division girls’ title, with New Town second and SSP third.