Singaporeans happy for home support at Rhythmic Gymnastics Asian Championships

SINGAPORE – From an early age, Mikayla Yang knew she wanted to pursue sport at a high level. In a bid to further her gymnastics career, at 12, the Singaporean made the bold decision to relocate to the United States.

The move meant being away from the comforts of home, but she was confident the US would provide a more conducive environment for her to develop as an athlete.

Since then, the 17-year-old spends about nine months a year in Chicago with her father, and returns to Singapore three to four times annually to visit family and friends.

She said: “Leaving family and friends was a bit difficult, but we just did it to help my career because the US has a more competitive side for rhythmic gymnastics and it’s also easier to go for many competitions there.

“There’s also more support being an athlete and school, so it was easier to manage both of them and be able to train longer for more hours.”

Over time, she built a community there, which helped make the transition smoother.

Mikayla now attends school online, which allows her to train twice a day without compromising her studies.

Being able to dedicate more time to gymnastics has reaped rewards for the teenager. Since competing in her first international competition with her club in 2019, she has gone on to represent Singapore on some of the world’s biggest stages in the junior and senior levels.

At the 2025 Sofia Cup in Bulgaria, she won a bronze in the ball final – her first international podium finish on the European circuit.

She also placed ninth in the all-around at the 2024 Rhythmic Gymnastics Asian Championships – the highest finish by a Singaporean – and reached her first final in the ball event.

With the 2025 continental championships coming to town, Mikayla hopes to build on that showing when the event is held at the OCBC Arena from May 16 to 18. Over 150 gymnasts from 20 countries and territories, including elite athletes from China, Japan and Kazakhstan, will feature at the event.

She said: “It’s one of the big competitions in Singapore and to be able to perform in front of a home crowd and have all my family and friends there to watch and cheer is really nice because for other international competitions, you’re always alone and there’s not much support you can get there.”

Three other Singaporeans will compete in the championships – Thea Chew will join Mikayla in the senior category, while Lydia Lim and Leia Yap will take part in the junior competition.

Only 13, Lydia has established herself as one of Singapore’s up-and-coming talents. At the 2025 FIG Junior National Championships, she was crowned the overall champion after placing first in the ball and clubs, and second in the hoop.

The upcoming event will be one of the biggest competitions of her fledgling career, and the teenager is looking forward to the experience.

The CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’ School student said: “Competing for Singapore has been my dream for very long and to be able to get this is very nerve-racking because I’m representing everyone who didn’t get a chance to compete.

“But it’s also very exciting because it’s one of the bigger games in my home country. I’m nervous because I also hope to perform my best so I can have good results.”

Lydia has been working hard on improving her routines and building her confidence.

As part of her preparation, she has made it a nightly routine to write down her coaches’ feedback or visualise her routines with the backing song track.

She added: “This competition, I’m going to try and show my confidence because I know I’ve worked hard to this point.”

For Mikayla, the Asian championships are key to her preparations for a major year ahead, as she eyes a podium finish at the SEA Games in Bangkok in December.

Following her major Games debut at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023, she is hoping for more opportunities to compete in such multi-sport events.

She said: “Those competitions are a bit different in the sense of the things around you, like the environment, but the competition itself just feels a bit different – more important. And you get to see other sports, you’re not the only ones there, so that’s nice.”