SEA Games 2025: 7 Singapore athletes who keep happy with unique pursuits
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(Clockwise from left) National sprinter Daryl Tan, national handballer Kate Ong, bowler Jomond Chia and Kabaddi athlete Sasmithaa Mano.
ST PHOTOS: BRIAN TEO, GAVIN FOO
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SINGAPORE – In the lead up to 33rd SEA Games in Thailand from Dec 9 to 20, The Straits Times profiled Singapore athletes competing in the Land of Smiles who keep themselves happy with unique pursuits outside sport.
1. Artistic swimmer Debbie Soh finds joy in longboarding
Artistic swimmer Debbie Soh skating on the longboard at the Sports Hub on Nov 5, 2025.
ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
When all sporting activities ground to a halt during the Covid-19 pandemic, Singapore artistic swimmer Debbie Soh got her start in a different sport: Longboarding.
Her first board was gifted by her boyfriend.
2. Food blogger Sasmithaa Mano hungry for kabaddi’s SEA Games debut
Kabaddi athlete Sasmithaa Mano hannels her creativity into food blogging.
ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
Patience is required if one is dining out with 23-year-old Sasmithaa Mano.
On her food blog @thatsoyummyy, her friends and fans are often left salivating at the sight of her meticulously photographed plates of food and drinks.
Behind the scenes, her dining companions have grown accustomed to waiting “10 minutes for me to take photos”.
3. From the mound to the mix, baseballer Hans Pereira finds his beat
National baseballer Hans Pereira began creating soul-sampled hip-hop beats in his first year of polytechnic in 2019.
ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO
National baseballer Hans Pereira is the team’s pitcher and also their designated deejay.
Occasionally, the 23-year-old music creator plays one of his own tracks, but most of the time, he blasts songs from his Spotify playlist during training sessions.
His role in the locker room is a combination of his two passions – music and baseball – both of which, he feels, share many similarities.
4. Speedy Daryl Tan chasing records on the track and Rubik’s Cube
National sprinter Daryl Tan has a passion for solving Rubik’s cubes and holds nine Guinness World Records for his speedcubing feats.
ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO
The seconds, minutes and hours leading up to the start of a race can make or break runners.
To deal with the nerves and anxiety, some put on their headphones, others watch videos on their phones or talk to their coaches .Calm, for Singapore sprinter Daryl Tan, comes from fiddling with a Rubik’s Cube.
5. Tay Yu Xuan aims to be picture-perfect in wushu and cinematography
National wushu athlete Tay Yu Xuan has a passion for filmmaking, and is the director of photography for the production of his own short film, Baba's Voice.
ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO
As an inquisitive child, Tay Yu Xuan was especially captivated by movement and lighting.
When he was seven, he saw his primary school seniors perform a wushu routine and pestered his mother to enrol him for Chinese martial arts self-defence classes. He started with nanquan (southern fist), followed by changquan (long fist) before settling on taijiquan.
6. Handballer Kate Ong hooked on ‘dopamine rush’ in crafting her crochet items
National handballer Kate Ong also enjoys crocheting.
ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO
Singapore handballer Kate Ong has always considered herself as an arty-farty kind of girl, who is always on the lookout for avenues to express her creativity.
It was during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic when she stumbled on videos on crocheting while looking for ways to relieve the stress from her school work.
7. Jomond Chia looks to whip up a storm on the bowling lanes
Bowler Jomond Chia enjoys helping out in his parents’ restaurant, Sik Bao Sin.
ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
The clanging of a ladle against a wok, shouting of food orders amid the loud chattering of customers – all this may seem like absolute chaos, but for national bowler Jomond Chia it is a “therapeutic rhythm”.
The 25-year-old is the only child of Desmond and Jo, who run Sik Bao Sin (Desmond’s Creation), a popular second-generation Cantonese restaurant at Geylang Road.
