Singapore’s Amanda Yap sixth in Artistic Gymnastics World Championships final
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Singapore's Amanda Yap smiling after completing her balance beam routine at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- Amanda Yap placed sixth with 13.333 points in the balance beam final at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Jakarta.
- Yap juggled O-level exams with the competition, flying between Singapore and Jakarta, viewing it as a positive distraction.
- Inspired by the experience, Yap aims for a SEA Games beam medal and success at the 2026 Asian Games.
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SINGAPORE - Having already notched a “big accomplishment” in qualifying for the balance beam final at the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships, Amanda Yap was ready to enjoy her big moment in Jakarta on Oct 25.
And she certainly did – the 15-year-old had a smile on her face throughout her routine at the Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex, where she eventually placed sixth in the eight-athlete final with a personal best of 13.333 points.
China’s Zhang Qing-ying took gold with 15.166 points, while Algeria’s Kaylia Nemour and Japan’s Aiko Sugihara finished second and third after scoring 14.300 and 14.166 respectively.
Amanda told The Straits Times: “I really wanted to have fun, just being here in the finals was already such a big accomplishment. I tried my best, and I was very happy with the result.
“The first part of my routine I was still quite nervous.. trying to keep myself calm the whole way through. And I think overall, it was pretty okay. And I was very happy with my performance.”
Her senior debut at the world championships was made more challenging by a hectic schedule, as she is currently sitting for her O-level examinations.
On Oct 20, she took part in the balance beam qualification and flew back to Singapore the following afternoon for an O-level mathematics Paper 1 exam on Oct 22. After earning a historic berth at the championships – she is the first local gymnast to qualify for the final – she returned to Indonesia on Oct 25 right after taking another exam.
“It was quite crazy. I had exams just three, four hours ago, and I was still in Singapore. There were a lot of things going on”, said Amanda, who is flying back home on Oct 26 morning to continue with her exams the day after.
While the pressure of juggling a major competition with the O-levels can be stressful for athletes, that was not the case for Amanda.
She added: “It was a positive thing, in a way, because I didn’t have to focus so much. Instead of stressing over one thing, it was spread out, and I had time to think about the two different things that I had to do.”
She also savoured the experience of meeting some of the world’s best gymnasts, including her idol, Canada’s three-time Commonwealth Games champion Elsabeth Black, whom she noted was “really sweet” and “gave me lots of encouragement”.
“Being around all these big names is an accomplishment in itself, so I was really thankful for that. Watching them perform right in front of my eyes was very cool, so I learned a lot from them,” she said.
She is hopeful the lessons from Jakarta will help in her quest for a podium spot at the Thailand SEA Games in December, noting that “a beam medal would be the goal”.
And success on a bigger stage – the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan – is another goal, after the teenager placed third among the region’s gymnasts in the balance beam at the world championships.
She said: “I feel like it’s definitely shown me that I can do better than I expect. I really hope to be able to show my best self again next year. It’s given me the confidence to do better because now I know at least where I stand.”
