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Independent Singapore
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Independent Singapore
Mikayla Yang from Team Singapore finished fifth in the hoop final at the 2025 Rhythmic Gymnastics Asian Championships
Team Singapore's Mikayla Yang successfully placed fifth in the hoop final at the 16th Senior Rhythmic Gymnastics Asian Championships. This result has been the best yet achieved by a Singaporean gymnast at the tournament. Moreover, the 17-year-old athlete also placed sixth in the ball category and seventh in the ribbon event. With her impressive wins, Yang expressed: 'It was really special to compete on home ground. This was my first time taking part in such a major international competition in Singapore, and having my friends, family, and supporters in the crowd made the experience unforgettable. Hearing them cheer for me lifted my spirits and reminded me of how much support I have behind me. I'm happy with how I performed across the championships. I definitely felt an improvement from my last competition. While there were still some small mistakes, I managed to push through and stay focused. It was also my first time qualifying for three apparatus finals, so I'm proud I was able to perform most of them cleanly, soak in the moment, and represent Singapore with pride.' Uzbekistan's Takhmina Ikromova, the Asian Games gold medallist, won first place in both the hoop and club events. Furthermore, Anastasiya Sarantseva, Ikromova's teammate, won gold in the ball, while Aibota Yertaikyzy of Kazakhstan won the ribbon category. Yang placed sixth overall in the All-Around category, with a score of 76.500 across her top three routines. The Singaporean followed behind Ikromova (84.500), Sarantseva (83.850), and Yertaikyzy (82.200). Other tournament updates Team Singapore's Leia Yap and Lydia Lim placed 10th and 11th in the All-Around competition at the Junior Asian Championships. More so, Yap also finished fifth in the ribbon final. Due to the great results from the Singaporean team, the CEO of Singapore Gymnastics, Richard Gordon, admitted: 'This has been a fantastic event for Singapore Gymnastics and for Singapore as a whole. It's only the second time we have hosted a gymnastics competition of this stature, and the first time we have done so for rhythmic gymnastics. The feedback has been very positive, about the event itself, about Singapore, and about Singapore Gymnastics. It reflects not just our standing as a top sporting nation, but also Singapore's growing reputation as a destination for major sporting events. We have also seen encouraging results. Mikayla has really stepped up, and this is the first time we have achieved performances at this level. But it's not just Mikayla, our juniors have made finals too, and that shows we have a strong pipeline coming through.' In the hoop event, Uzbekistan's Viktoriya Nikiforova won first place, with China's Wang Qi and Kyrgyzstan's Sofia Iarovaia finishing second and third. Kazakhstan's Akmaral Yerekesheva showed dominance by winning gold in the ball final and went on to win two more golds in clubs and ribbons. In the overall All-around standings, Wang Qi led the rankings with a score of 98.450, followed by Yerekesheva and Kuwait's Layan Behbehani. Kazakhstan won the senior group title with a final score of 48.450. South Korea came in second with 48.250, and Uzbekistan earned bronze with 48.200. See also 2026 Tour de France to begin with a team time trial in Barcelona In the Junior group All-Around competition, Uzbekistan won gold, scoring 45.300. Kazakhstan won silver with 42.050, while Malaysia won bronze with a score of 40.600.
Independent Singapore
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Independent Singapore
Singapore's Mikayla Yang finishes sixth in the All-Around Competition at the 2025 Rhythmic Gymnastics Asian Championships
Mikayla Yang of Team Singapore gave a steady and focused performance at the 16th Senior Rhythmic Gymnastics Asian Championships held at the OCBC Arena, and finished sixth overall in the Individual All-Around event. The 17-year-old athlete scored a total of 76.500 points, making her the top-ranked gymnast from Southeast Asia. Yang placed ahead of Jasmine Althea Ramilo from the Philippines, who placed ninth, and Ng Joe Ee of Malaysia, who was 10th. Yang said: 'I'm pleased with how the competition has gone overall. I've seen clear improvement since my last outing, and I'm especially proud of my ribbon routine today. It felt clean, and I hit all my difficulties. Recovering from a small mistake in clubs to finish strong meant a lot. There's still work to be done in hoop and clubs, but for now, the focus is on sharpening my routines and giving my best in the finals. Competing at home, with the crowd behind me, has been an incredible experience.' Thea Chew, also from Team Singapore, finished 15th overall in the Individual All-Around competition. Despite her strong performance, she missed qualifying for the ribbon final round by only 0.150 points. Chew admitted, 'I focused on executing my routines and staying present in the moment, and hearing the home crowd cheer during my ribbon performance was incredibly uplifting. While I wasn't fully satisfied with my performances in ball and clubs, the overall experience has been valuable. I'll take the feedback and learnings with me as I continue to grow and improve.' Team Singapore's Thea Chew in action during the clubs event at the 2025 Rhythmic Gymnastics Asian Championship (Photo Credit: Singapore Gymnastics/Abdul Rahman) Top athletes from the roster The reigning Asian Games champion, Uzbekistan's Takhmina Ikromova, was first with a total of 84.500 points. Anastasiya Sarantseva, Ikromova's teammate, came in second with 83.850 points. Kazakhstan's Aibota Yertaikyzy was third place with 82.200. Every gymnast was graded based on their best three scores out of the four events—hoop, ball, clubs, and ribbon. Other tournament updates Team Singapore's Leah Yap and Lydia Lim finished 10th and 11th respectively at the 21st Junior Rhythmic Gymnastics Asian Championships All-Around competition. Yap placed eighth in the ribbon event, and Lim came in ninth in the clubs qualification round. See also Singapore's golf rising star Aloysa Atienza's quest to turn pro The 2025 Rhythmic Gymnastics Asian Championships was participated by over 150 top athletes from 20 different federations. This tournament was officially approved by the International Gymnastics Federation (FOG) and co-hosted by the Asian Gymnastics Union (AGU) and Singapore Gymnastics. Moreover, this competition will serve as the qualifier for the 41st FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships that will happen in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from August 20 to 24, 2025.
CNA
16-05-2025
- Sport
- CNA
Singapore's rhythmic gymnasts gear up for Asian championships on home soil
More than 150 gymnasts are twirling their ribbons and hoops at the OCBC Arena until Sunday, as Singapore hosts the annual Rhythmic Gymnastics Asian Championships. The Asian championships will serve as a qualifier for this year's world championships in Rio de Janeiro. Chloe Teo checks out Team Singapore's preparations.
Straits Times
29-04-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Team Singapore's indoor skydivers steal the show at world meet despite break-in
Team Singapore's indoor skydivers, (from left) Choo Yi Xuan, Vera Poh, Kai Minejima-Lee, Kyra Poh, scooped up four medals at the 5th FAI World Indoor Skydiving Championships. PHOTO: MARAT DAMINOV SINGAPORE – The Singapore skydiving team showed incredible resolve as they rose above a burglary at their accommodation to collect a sterling haul of one gold, two silver and one bronze medals at the World Indoor Skydiving Championships in Charleroi, Belgium. On April 25, the athletes were shocked to find their place ransacked, forcing them to relocate to a hotel midway through the April 24-27 competition. But rather than letting the harrowing experience affect them, the skydivers regrouped with Kyra Poh teaming up with her younger sister Vera, Choo Yi Xuan and Kai Minejima-Lee to claim the dynamic four-way open title. Kai, 16, added a silver in the solo freestyle open event while Poh and Choo showed their chemistry is still intact with a dynamic two-way open bronze in their first competition since 2018. Vera, also 16, snatched a silver in the solo speed junior category while the remaining member of the Singapore contingent, Jordan Lee, was placed 11th in the solo freestyle open event on his world championships debut. A spokesperson for iFly Singapore, an indoor skydiving facility in Sentosa where the skydivers train, confirmed the burglary took place but declined to reveal further details when contacted by The Straits Times. Poh, making her return to competition after a year-long hiatus due to an ankle injury, was delighted to add to the solo freestyle open gold she won at the 2023 world meet. 'Coming back from such a long injury break and immediately winning medals at the world championships is incredibly rewarding,' said the 22-year-old, Singapore's only Red Bull-sponsored athlete. Hailing the support of the team during her recovery from the injury, Poh added: 'It feels amazing to be competing again at the highest level.' The gold was especially satisfying as Singapore avenged their loss to Switzerland at the world meet two years ago with a decisive victory. 'To come back this year and win... against the same Switzerland team, made all the daily training worthwhile,' said Choo, who was in the 2023 team who won a bronze. The 23-year-old also marked her reunion with Poh for the 'Team Firefly' partnership by edging out France by just 0.02 seconds in a dramatic tiebreak for the dynamic two-way open bronze. Choo Yi Xuan and Kyra Poh, also known as 'Team Firefly', competed for the first time together since 2018. PHOTO: MARAT DAMINOV 'Reuniting with Yi Xuan after my injury and immediately getting back on the podium feels amazing,' said Poh. For Kai, the solo freestyle open champion at the World Cup in 2024, it was another close call as he finished a mere 0.1 point behind Poland's Maja Kuczynska. 'I gave everything in my routine and am proud to add a world championships silver to my World Cup gold,' said the teenager. 'The margin of 0.1 point shows just how competitive this field is.' Kai Minejima-Lee (left) won the silver medal in the Solo Freestyle Open event. PHOTO: MARAT DAMINOV Vera also showed her potential after losing by a mere 0.985sec to Sofya Pauzin of France in the solo speed junior category. 'Speed events are all about focus and consistency. We are flying at speeds of 280kmh which means there is hardly a split second to think when I'm in the tunnel. 'I've been working on perfecting every move and the transitions between patterns and I'm proud to contribute this first silver medal for a solo speed event,' said the 16-year-old. Vera Poh claimed the silver medal in the Solo Speed Junior event. PHOTO: MARAT DAMINOV Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
AsiaOne
24-04-2025
- Automotive
- AsiaOne
AsiaOne clinches 5 awards for online strategies at Digital Media Awards Asia 2025, Singapore News
AsiaOne bagged five awards, including Best News Website and Best Fact Checking Project, at the Digital Media Awards Asia 2025. The 16th edition of the Digital Media Awards Asia saw 193 entries from news content companies across Singapore, Indonesia, Australia, and more. Organised by World Association of News Publishers, the awards were created to recognise news organisations for leadership and innovation in the adoption of media strategies for the digital age. Winners were awarded on Wednesday (Apr 23) at Pullman Kuala Lumpur City Centre, as part of the Digital Media Asia conference, Asia-Pacific's largest regional digital news media event. AsiaOne wins Best News Website for coverage on Pope Francis' visit Before his recent passing, last year in September, Singapore had the honour of welcoming the late Pope Francis for a historic papal visit. It marked the head of the worldwide Catholic Church's first visit to Singapore. He was rounding up his 45th Apostolic Journey abroad and held a Holy Mass at the Singapore National Stadium to some 50,000 attendees. To chronicle this momentous occasion, AsiaOne created a dedicated microsite, collaborating with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore to bring audiences a behind-the-scenes look at the human-interest stories that shaped Pope Francis' visit. This captured the efforts of everyday Singaporeans from diverse backgrounds and faiths, who also tended to the pontiff's arrival, safety, and accommodation arrangements. For this project, AsiaOne emerged as the winner for Best News Website under the small/medium media category. Investigative piece on OBU for Singapore-registered vehicles AsiaOne also won Best Fact Checking Project for What the Fuss: What you need to know about ERP2.0's Onboard Unit (OBU). When Singapore rolled out the ERP 2.0 system in 2023, the on-board unit (OBU) was created in tandem to improve operations, with advanced technology to facilitate traffic monitoring and management. However, the initial launch of the OBU met with negative feedback, particularly around the placement of the card reader. In hopes to inspire more nuanced perspectives, AsiaOne produced an informative video to showcase the features and installation process of the new OBU for ERP 2.0, detailing the various decisions that went into the making of the device in a bid to create more objective and balanced views in the adoption of the new OBU. Recognising the heroes behind Team Singapore athletes' triumph To highlight Team Singapore's commitment to uplifting the careers of local athletes, AsiaOne worked in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) to a cast a spotlight on the diverse group of professionals working behind-the-scenes to nurture sporting success. The campaign featured personal stories of sporting professionals such as a biomechanist, dietitian and more as they journey with athletes for a more holistic approach in the pursuit of high-performance sports. "We used data insights from AsiaOne's in-house research to guide our content development and focused on creating engaging, educational content that resonates with sports enthusiasts, youth, and parents. By showcasing athletes' personal stories through relatable interviews, each video ended on an inspiring note, highlighting their dreams for Singapore's sports scene. The video series was complemented by four branded editorial articles aligning with AsiaOne's Off-Centre, On Trend brand voice, offering refreshing, less mainstream angles," shared Lynette Phua, Director of Clients and Brands Partnership at AsiaOne. [[nid:698480]] For this collaboration, AsiaOne clinched the winning title of Best Native Advertising / Sponsored Content Campaign in the small/medium media category. AsiaOne: Silver Winner for Best Use of AI in the Newsroom, Revenue Strategy AsiaOne was also recognised for its effective use of AI tools to gather audience insights and conduct social listening. This informs the publisher's content strategy, enhancing its ability to create alternative angles, reinforcing its positioning as a publication that values stories that are Off Centre, On Trend. "Being 'Off Centre, On Trend' was never just a slogan for us, it is our continuous promise to deliver to users unique content that they want, not what we think they should have. By using AI to conduct social listening and behavioural analysis, we are able to clearly identify what matters to our audience. With this we take one step further to deliver our promise to our audiences," said Edmund Chua, Head of Consumer Insights and Analytics Group. Further, AI integration is utilised for revenue generation, with content classification for in-depth behavioural analysis and precise ad targeting. For the meaningful implementation of the technology, AsiaOne bagged the Silver award in two technical categories: Best Use of AI in the Newsroom as well as Best Use of AI in Revenue Strategy. Summary of AsiaOne Awards News media content Winner (small/medium media category): Microsite on Pope Francis' State Visit to Singapore Winner (small/medium media category): What the Fuss: What you need to know about ERP2.0's Onboard Unit (OBU) Winner (small/medium media category): Supporting the Next Bound of Sports in Singapore: Beyond the Dream AI Strategies Silver Winner: AI-Assisted Content Classification Model for In-Depth Behavioural Analysis and Precise Ad Targeting Silver Winner: AI-assisted Social Listening for Impactful News Coverage Chief Executive Officer of AsiaOne, Sean Ler shares: "Now in our third year since privatisation, AsiaOne seeks to achieve excellence in not only the news front, but also on the media solutions front". "It is no longer just about the art of content or having a seasoned creative director that ideates advertising solutions, but about being able to marry the art and science together. The art is still relevant, but it must be paired with the science which tells us where the consumption patterns are, about who and what people are talking about," remarked Ler, as he noted how AsiaOne adopts AI and technology to facilitate its decision-making processes, shaping its products to be more relatable to audiences and effective for clients.
