Swimmer Tedd Chan leads the line for Singapore at the Asian Youth Games
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Singaporean swimmer Tedd Chan celebrates after winning the boys' 50m backstroke gold in Bahrain, on Oct 28.
PHOTO: SNOC/ANDY CHUA
- Tedd Windsor Chan won Singapore's first gold in the boys' 50m backstroke at the Asian Youth Games in Bahrain with a time of 25.79sec.
- Chan also won a silver in the boys' 50m freestyle the day before.
- After eight days of competition, Singapore’s 54-member contingent have won two golds, a silver and two bronzes.
AI generated
SINGAPORE – Just a day after winning a silver in the boys’ 50m freestyle at the Asian Youth Games in Bahrain, Tedd Chan added a gold to his haul after finishing top in the boys’ 50m backstroke on Oct 28.
His 25.79sec effort at the Khalifa Sports City earned Singapore its first gold medal at the Games, with Sofia Rivas adding a second gold in jiu-jitsu a day later after beating Kazakhstan’s Kamila Kapan on advantage points in the girls’ 52kg final.
Swimmer Megan Yo also made it onto the podium on Oct 27 after finishing third in the girls’ 100m butterfly in 1min 00.71sec. China’s Li Siyao and Shou Yutong clinched the gold and silver in 1:00.51 and 1:00.67 respectively.
Tedd, 15, told The Straits Times: “It feels really good being able to win the first gold medal for Singapore at the Games. I’m thankful that my hard work with my coach has paid off. The guidance of my parents and my club have given me the strength to be able to win the gold medal.
“I’ve been enjoying myself in Bahrain, even though the weather is quite dry, which is really different compared to Singapore.”
Sofia, 17, said after the medal ceremony: “Honestly I did not expect to win gold, but I was really happy to bring it back.
“It felt really great when the national anthem was played and I felt really happy.”
Winning an unexpected silver in the 50m freestyle was a confidence boost for Tedd, a Secondary 4 student at Anglo-Chinese School (Independent).
Tedd’s coach Zhang Jianlan said: “I know his level is very competitive. Before coming to this event, we felt that there should definitely be a medal to strive for.
“So after coming here and analysing the competition, we felt that as long as he swims well, there should be a chance for a gold medal.”
Tedd was back in action in the swimming pool on Oct 29 in the 100m backstroke final, where he finished fifth. He could also feature in the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay on Oct 30.
After the Asian Youth event, he will be looking to carry his winning momentum to the SEA Games in December, when he will be part of the over 900-strong Singapore contingent competing in Thailand.
The Games debutant said: “This has definitely been one of my goals since I was very young, as I have always looked at my seniors and seen them qualify for the Games. It has always been my dream.”
After eight days of competition in Bahrain, Singapore’s 54-member contingent – who are competing in 11 sports – have won two golds, a silver and two bronzes.
On Oct 26, 16-year-old Jiang Yunfan clinched a bronze in the boys’ pole vault after clearing 4.40m, behind Malaysia’s Gerfan Nigel (4.50m) and Thailand’s Tanakorn Daengmanee (5.00m).
The Oct 22-31 Asian Youth Games features participants from 45 countries and territories competing across 26 sports.
