SEA Games 2025: Food blogger Sasmithaa Mano hungry for kabaddi’s SEA Games debut
The Straits Times continues the countdown to the 33rd SEA Games, held in Thailand from Dec 9 to 20. Over seven days, we profile Singapore athletes competing in the Land of Smiles who keep happy with unique pursuits outside sport. Today, we feature Kabaddi athlete Sasmithaa Mano, who gets a kick out of her food blogging adventures.
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Kabaddi player Sasmithaa Mano channels her creativity into food blogging.
ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO
Follow topic:
- Sasmithaa Mano, a food blogger (@thatsoyummyy), balances her finance job, volunteering, and passion for capturing food experiences on social media.
- Sasmithaa is part of Singapore's first national women's kabaddi team, debuting at the SEA Games in December.
- Despite a packed schedule, Sasmithaa finds joy in diverse experiences and aims for a SEA Games medal, balancing sport, career, and hobbies.
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SINGAPORE – 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”.
“I think it’s a different form of expression, where I can just post what I think about the food, and there’s no judgment involved,” said Sasmithaa on her food blogging journey, which began during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Then a junior college student, she wanted to explore the plethora of home-based food businesses that had suddenly cropped up.
She started an Instagram page to document the food that she ate with photographs and a short review.
“One day, I realised that people started following this new account and were engaging with my posts,” said Sasmithaa, who works in the banking and finance sector.
“I didn’t expect people to care about what I had to say about the food. And then suddenly I had different home-based businesses reaching out to ask if they could send some food over. And I felt like I could help these businesses out by posting about them.”
The posts opened up several opportunities and she has since been invited to several media food tasting events. She has also collaborated with local food blog Eatbook and Singapore Airlines on food-related content.
Food, however, will take a back seat in December, when Sasmithaa and her national women’s kabaddi teammates head to Thailand to compete in the SEA Games.
The traditional South Asian contact sport is usually played between two teams of seven, but for Games debut, it will also feature teams of three or five players. Sasmithaa is pencilled in for the five- and seven-a-side format.
In each round, a single player known as a “raider” enters the opponent’s half to tag defenders and sprint back to their own side before being tackled, all while chanting “kabaddi” continuously.
Each defender the raider touches is a point earned, while every raider stopped is a point to the defence. Each side alternates between attacking and defending, and victory is awarded to the team with the most points.
Just like her journey to becoming a food blogger, it was social media that launched Sasmithaa’s career as a Team Singapore athlete.
She chanced upon a TikTok video by the national body for the sport, Kabaddi Association (Central SG), announcing that it was holding open trials for the women’s team.
“Throughout my whole time schooling in Singapore, I never ever thought there’s a community for sports in the Indian space,” said Sasmithaa, who had previously tried boxing recreationally.
Prior to the December 2024 trials, where she earned a spot in the national side, she had already discovered kabaddi when in Primary school but had found it to be an overly physical sport.
But the physical contact that once intimidated her now fascinates the defender.
She said: “Each move is actually like playing chess. People think it is just a physical sport but there is also a lot of strategy involved. You have to foresee what the opponent will do in a very short period of time and think in advance about your move. It is a sport that requires you to use your brain and body.”
Training thrice weekly, the 15-member national kabaddi team have also played test matches against Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand in preparation for the biennial event.
Sasmithaa is grateful for the opportunity to play for Singapore, even if it has meant that she has to balance her corporate career alongside her sporting endeavours, hobbies and interests such as food blogging and her volunteering work.
Since December 2024, she has been a regular volunteer for Chong Pang GRC’s Meet-the-People Sessions and also helps with house visits every Wednesday and Thursday to check on the residents.
“I’m someone who likes to take on a lot of different things and have different experiences,” she said.
“Having something to look forward to every week, every day on my calendar brings me joy. Some people might think I’m a maniac, but I really enjoy a very packed schedule. And it gives me purpose too.”
Her purpose and mission in Thailand is to spur her team on to a medal, a feat that she believes can be achieved.
And if the kabaddi team finishes on the podium, a celebratory meal is on the cards when they return to Singapore.
But first, photos for Sasmithaa’s blog, before they tuck in.
