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This year's AFF Suzuki Cup will not just be a celebration of players, teams and fans, but also frontliners who battled through these unprecedented times Image via SPORTFIVE 10 November 2021, Kuala Lumpur - This year’s AFF Suzuki Cup event will be a celebration of the Stars and Superheroes of the event – the teams, players, fans – but also the frontliners across ASEAN that have been battling the pandemic to keep our communities safe. With the excitement building ahead of the AFF Suzuki Cup 2020, the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) and commercial partner SPORTFIVE today unveiled the tournament’s themes that will set the tone for a show-stopping event taking place in Singapore from 5 December to 1 January 2022. Image via SPORTFIVE Starring the Teams and Players The exhilarating football action, passionate fanbase and intense rivalry amongst teams have always been a staple for the AFF Suzuki Cup with fans ever eager to prove their team’s superiority over their opposition. While the pandemic has caused some disruptions, these rivalries have not disappeared but merely went into hibernation. Leading up to the AFF Suzuki Cup 2020 in December, fans are called upon to rise again and reignite old rivalries to show that #RivalriesNeverDie. Team Masks There will be new team masks that reimagine the image and identity of each ASEAN nation. Each team mask is visually crafted to personify the respective football federations and fans can look forward to seeing these masks across the AFF Suzuki Cup channels and have the opportunity to interact with the masks as filters on the tournament's social media platforms. Image via SPORTFIVE Superheroes: The Frontliners Off the pitch, AFF will be using the AFF Suzuki Cup 2020 as a platform for the ASEAN football family to come together and thank the real-life superheroes – the frontliners, for their sacrifice, compassion and dedication during these unprecedented times. To shine the spotlight on these superheroes, AFF has dedicated the tagline “Emerging Stronger Together” and planned a series of CSR initiatives for the ASEAN football family, including the teams, players and the millions of fans across the region, to pay tribute to all frontliners and thank them for their efforts and hard work over the past few years. #SportPlusSG #Football #SingaporeFootball #AFFSuzukiCup

Rising Singapore Badminton Star Aims to Break into World Top 80 by Year End Image via SportSG While all eyes in Singapore were fixed on the rising daily cases of COVID-19 cases recently, one of our athletes achieved a significant personal milestone in her budding athlete career. Team Singapore shuttler Jaslyn Hooi , ranked 133 in the world, overcame 18 year-old Samiya Imad Farooqui of India 21-11, 21-9 in the final to win the Polish International 2021 badminton competition, and claim her first international title win in the Open category. Footage via Badminton Europe She had earlier overcome Swedish opponent Edith Urell 21-17, 21-8 in the semi-finals to reach the final. The title win achievement is all the more significant with this being Hooi's first international competition she has taken part in since March 2020, just before COVID-19 put global sporting events to a grinding halt. Footage via Badminton Europe Hooi, who turned 21 this week, has been on the rise in the local badminton scene, and while she hasn't reached the international acclaim of her seniors Loh Kean Yew and Yeo Jiamin , is already widely regarded as an athlete to look out for in the coming years. Known to adopt a more aggressive and offensive style of play than Yeo Jiamin, Hooi is the second highest ranked local female shuttler after Yeo, and also went the furthest in the Women's Singles at the last SEA Games in Philippines, reaching the last eight. File photo: SportPlus.SG She is also the reigning title holder of the last two editions of the Singapore National Open Championships from 2020 and 2021. When asked about her thoughts on winning the Polish International badminton competition, Hooi was happy but kept her feet firmly on the ground, saying there is still plenty of work left to do. "I'm delighted, it's been a while since any of us have been to any international competitions," she said. "This title shows that whatever we've been working on during the lockdown is useful and that I'm on the right track to be better." The Polish International is the first of a series of four competitions Hooi and her teammates are embarking on as Singapore's badminton athletes come out of almost 18 months without international competition, with the exception of its olympic athletes. "We are hoping these four competitions will bring up our rankings so that we will be able to play in higher grade competitions next year," said Hooi. File photo: SportPlus.SG And what of her personal targets for this year and beyond? She shared: "I hope to bring up my world ranking. I hope to break into the top 80 by the end of this year." Judging by her dedication to the task and continuous drive for improvement, achieving that milestone wouldn't come as a huge surprise to any of us. #SportPlusSG #Badminton #PolishInternational2021 #JaslynHooi

18 top female runners to feature in competitive modified virtual format of Great Eastern Women's Run 2021 Image via @serenaaateoh Instagram 29 September 2021, Singapore - Team Singapore runners Jasmine Goh and Serena Teoh are among 18 local elite runners who have been invited to compete in this year's Great Eastern Women's Run virtual half-marathon. The competitive event, which will be held separately from the virtual run for public, will provide Singapore's top female runners with a safe racing environment, with all competitors clocking their race between 6am and 9am on Sunday, 14 November. Upon completion the runners, who will be running with wearables, are required to submit their results digitally where their run time (duration and pace) distance, route and heart rate will be verified. The event will be held in conjunction with the all-women’s virtual run for public, with public participants being allowed up to a month to clock in the distances they’ve chosen. Some of the top local runners who will be featuring this year include SEA Games representatives Jasmine Goh (2016 GEWR champion), Rachel See (2017 GEWR silver medalist), Serena Teoh (SEA Games 2019 representative) and Olympian Neo Jie Shi (2018 GEWR bronze medalist). Image via @go_jasminegoh Instagram Jasmine Goh, who has participated in the GEWR since 2012, said: "We’ve missed competing and while this race will be without traditional race elements such as a flag-off and finish line, it is no less of a contest." "We will still be competing against the other runners on the same day, only in a socially-distant and safer manner," she added. "We are thankful to Great Eastern for adapting to the challenges the pandemic has thrown our way and for providing us the opportunity to race again." Organisers Great Eastern have had to come up with creative solutions with the ever evolving COVID-19 situation, and have arrived at a modified format which they hope to keep as close to a race setting as possible, while ensuring the safety of all participants. Image via Great Eastern Women's Run Colin Chan, Managing Director, Group Marketing, Great Eastern, said: "We hope this opportunity to compete in a simulated race setting will help our local athletes achieve their sporting goals. We will continue to monitor the Covid-19 developments closely, and will reinstate the features of a full race for these 18 elite runners should the situation allow it." The local elite runners will also be leading a fund-raising initiative where donated monies will go towards the two selected beneficiaries – Breast Cancer Foundation (BCF) and Daughters Of Tomorrow (DOT). Members of the public can support these causes via the Great Eastern Cares fundraising page here. #SportPlusSG #Running #SgRunners #GEWR2021 #GreatEasternWomensRun

Teong Tzen Wei becomes first Singaporean to go below 50s in 100m Butterfly Image via Singapore Swimming Association 26 November 2021, Singapore - A host of long-standing records were toppled on Friday, the second day of competition of the 9th Singapore National Swimming Championships (Short Course Meters) at the OCBC Aquatic Centre. Teong Tzen Wei, who had set two national short course records on Thursday, carried on from where he left off in the morning heats when he smashed the time of 50.84s set in 2015 by Quah Zheng Wen in the Men’s 100m Butterfly, with a blistering swim and a new record time of 50.35s. Image via Singapore Swimming Association The 24-year-old then created a slice of history in the evening finals when he became the first Singaporean to go under 50s when he bettered his morning record time, with an unbelievable swim as he touched home first in 49.88s and qualifying for December’s FINA World Championships (25m) in Abu Dhabi. “I’m quite tired but it has been a very fun two days. I am happy with my performance, just looking forward to reviewing the race with my coaches and to see how I can go even faster next time." "On whether I was expecting to go under 50s, that was the goal going into the finals and me and my coaches reviewed the tapes from the heats and identified what I could have done better to go faster and I just trusted my coaches advice and follow what they said and I guessed it all worked out”, said the full-time swimmer. Image via Singapore Swimming Association He added, “We are defined by our past experiences, I probably have learnt a lot from my failures, such as not qualifying for Olympics, but everyone has their day and this meet has been a good stepping stone for me. It’s the first meet of our season heading towards 2024 with the new coaching team on deck, so yes, it is a good step and I hope we can keep the momentum going.” Up and coming breaststroke specialist, Maximillian Ang, added the 100m Breaststroke record to the 200m one he set yesterday when he he took down Lionel Khoo's 2017 record of 59.65s with a superb swim in the final of the Men's 100m Breaststroke. Ang touched the wall first in a new record time of 58.72s, earning his ticket to Abu Dhabi courtesy of his FINA 'B' Cut. “I felt pretty good because it is always a very satisfying feeling to break a record and I had my eyes set on this for quite some time. Ever since I went 1 minute two years ago, I already set my mind on breaking the national record, and I finally got the chance to do it because Singapore does not have many short course races, and I am glad and proud of myself that all the hard work in training has paid off”, said the 20-year-old. Image via Singapore Swimming Association “I am really excited for the World Champs because I really want to race against the best in the world and see where I stand, and this will give me the motivation to do better”, he added. Quah Jing Wen continued her record-breaking streak with a fourth national short course record in two days, this time in the Women's 200m Freestyle. She clocked a time of 1:58.52s in the heats to erase elder sister Ting Wen's longstanding 8-year-old record of 1:58.80 set at the 2013 FINA Swimming World Cup in Berlin. Her time saw her clinch a FINA 'B' Cut and a slot in the event at Abu Dhabi. Image via Singapore Swimming Association As on Thursday, it was rising distance star Glen Lim who had the final say, as he showed his mettle and determination in the Men’s 200m Freestyle. The 19-year-old gave it his all as he touched the wall first in a time of 1:45.69s, setting a new national short course record and obliterating the 8-year-old record time of 1:46.08s set by Quah Zheng Wen in 2013 at the FINA Swimming World Cup in Singapore. His time also saw him qualify for the FINA World Championships (25m) by virtue of his FINA 'B' Cut. For the FINA Swimming World Championships (25m) 2021, each country is allowed to send 2 ‘A’ Cuts per event. If there are no ‘A’ cuts for that event, then the fastest ‘B’ cut time will qualify. #SportPlusSG #Swimming #NationalSwimmingChampionships

Singapore's mercurial playmaker shares footballing hopes of a nation on Rated RR Podcast ahead of 2020 AFF Suzuki Cup Image via AFF Suzuki Cup 25 November 2021, Singapore - Singapore forward Faris Ramli, 2019 Singapore Premier League Player of the Year, believes that the Singapore national football team is on track in their preparations ahead of the AFF Suzuki Cup, in spite of recent criticism on the men's football team after their recent 7-1 slump at the hands of Morocco A in the team's overseas training camp. "We went out there with specific objectives against the bigger teams for this training camp, and we have many positives to takeaway, " said the Lion City Sailors frontman. Speaking as a guest on the Rated RR Podcast hosted by Singapore football pundits Zia-ul Raushan and Rhysh Roshan Rai, Faris discussed preparations ahead of the much anticipated AFF Suzuki Cup, which will kick off on 5 December for the Singapore Lions at the National Stadium. It would be the first time an international football match featuring Singapore's national team is held at the Singapore Sports Hub since 15 October 2019, when Ikhsan Fandi scored in a 1-3 defeat to Uzbekistan in a World Cup Qualifier. Image via Football Association of Singapore Missing Captain Hariss When asked of the importance of team captain Hariss Harun to Singapore's football hopes at the upcoming ASEAN football tournament, Faris admitted that Hariss' qualities have been missed on the pitch, but gave an honest assessment that Singapore cannot be relying on just one or two players to do the job in that role. "He (Hariss) is the backbone of the Singapore team. He is back and getting fit for the tournament, and he is training as per normal. I can see he is really trying to push himself," shared Faris. "We've definitely missed him, he can really bring something for the team, but not having him gave some other players an opportunity." "And I can really see that they were stepping up. Anything can happen in the tournament, and we can't expect to only have one player or two players in that position," added Faris. Singapore's Young Talents On the younger players in the squad, many of whom are receiving their first call-ups, Faris believes they have the talent to go far, but desire and hunger to represent the national team could still be missing at times. "I can see so much potential in the younger ones right now. It's just that we need to have the experienced players guide them along," said the 30 year-old. Image via Football Association of Singapore "The younger ones have the potential to be right up there, but you need to have heart and desire to represent your country as well, which isn't always there yet." "We need to have the desire whenever we put on the jersey with the national flag. If they have that desire in them, I feel they can do so much more for the country." #SportPlusSG #Football #SingaporeFootball #AFFSuzukiCup #SuzukiCup2020

21 year-old steals show on first day of Singapore National Swimming Championships, qualifying for FINA World Swimming Championships Image via Singapore Swimming Association 25 November 2021, Singapore - Singapore swimmer Quah Jing Wen has booked her ticket to the FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) 2021 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates next month after an impressive showing on the first day of the 9th Singapore National Swimming Championships (Short Course Meters) at OCBC Aquatic Centre that saw her set three new national short course records. The records came in the Women’s 400m Freestyle and 100m Individual Medley twice, in which she also booked her ticket to December’s marquee event. Her time of 1:00.94s in the morning heats was good enough to take down elder sister Ting Wen’s time of 1:01.43s that was set earlier this year in August at the International Swimming League in Naples, Italy, and bettered the FINA ‘A’ Cut time of 1:01.21s. In the evening’s final, she bettered that time with an effort of 1:00.57 to clinch first place. Image via Sport Singapore It was Jing Wen's first appearance in a local swimming competition since returning from the United States, and she clearly stole the show, after downing Rachel Tseng’s 2018 record in the Women’s 400m Freestyle when she clocked 4:08.37s, to better Tseng’s time of 4:11.11s set at the 2018 FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) in Hangzhou. “I am pretty happy with my swims today, considering both events today are not events that I would usually swim, especially with the 100m Individual Medley as we seldom race it in long course meets, so I just wanted to go out there and have fun, and see where I am," said Quah. She added: "I wanted to try something new for the 400m Freestyle as I have always felt good swimming distance during training so I wanted to see where I stand racing distance free so I am definitely pretty happy of how my swims went today." She added, "Today has put me in a good spot mentally, after having not raced for so long, but coming into this meet, I was just feeling excited to be suiting up and racing again. I am glad that today really showed all the hard work that I have been putting in during training.” Image via Singapore Swimming Association / Andy Chua Teong breaks Schooling's 50m Butterfly Record Teong Tzen Wei also booked his ticket to Abu Dhabi after clocking a time of 22.32s to break the previous record time of 22.40s set by Joseph Schooling in 2018 in the morning heats of the Men's 50m butterfly. The 24-year-old went one better in the evening, lowering his record time to 22.32s in the final, propelling him into the top 10 of the FINA World Rankings, where his time was good enough to tie Kyle Chalmers of Australia in 9th place. He said, “I am happy with my performance but there are a lot of things that I can improve on and become faster. I am trying to keep the emotions in check because I have another few more days of racing and to do well for the next few races, I have to put what I have done good or bad today behind me, and just focus on the upcoming races.” “I did two personal bests today and honestly for me it does not really matter if it broke any records, it is more like a personal achievement of going faster, and that’s the reason why we love the sport, to better ourselves and become the best version of who we can be and I am happy with that”, added the full-time swimmer. Image via Singapore Swimming Association / Andy Chua Also securing their tickets to Abu Dhabi were young guns Maximillian Ang and Glen Lim courtesy of their FINA ‘B’ Cuts, with Maximillian qualifying for the 100m Individual Medley and 200m Breaststroke, and Glen in the 400m Freestyle. Max clocked a time of 54.47s in the morning heats for the 100m Individual Medley, and then went on a record-breaking swim in the evening in the 200m Breaststroke, clocking a time of 2:08.49s to win the final, and erase the previous mark of 2:10.39s that he had set in the same competition back in 2019. Rising distance star Glen then ended the first day of competition the same way it began, by taking down another national short course record. The 19-year-old led from start to finish in the Men’s 400m Freestyle and touched home first in a time of 3:45.51s, eclipsing Pang Sheng Jun’s time of 3:48.55s set in 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. For the FINA Swimming World Championships (25m) 2021, each country is allowed to send 2 ‘A’ Cuts per event. If there are no ‘A’ cuts for that event, then the fastest ‘B’ cut time will qualify. #SportPlusSG #Swimming #NationalSwimmingChampionships

Singapore represented by 13 youth para athletes across four sports, with ten making their Major Games debut Image via Singapore National Paralympic Council 3 December, Bahrain - The Bahrain 2021 Asian Youth Para Games (AYPG) were officially declared open at the Bahrain International Circuit, with more than 800 athletes across 32 nations competing across nine sports. Singapore is represented by 13 youth para athletes across four sports, with ten making their Major Games debut, with a contingent size of 32 represented at the Games. Image via Singapore National Paralympic Council Led by flag bearer Aloysius Gan, Team Singapore marched out at the Bahrain International Circuit donning Singapore’s national colours of red and white, as part of the Bahrain 2021 AYPG Opening Ceremony. Aloysius was accompanied by his father and athlete competition partner, Mr Gan Keng Aik. "I am so happy to be able to hold our country's flag high. I hope that I have made my family, friends, school and country proud. All the hard work and training over the years is worth it. I am looking forward to the next few days of competition," said Aloysius. Image via Singapore National Paralympic Council Earlier in the day, Aloysius was the first Singaporean in action at the Bahrain 2021 AYPG and he lost to his South Korean opponent, Sion Jeong, 4-3. Aloysius was trailing 2-0 going into the third end before he scored 3 points to take a 3-2 lead into the fourth end, but was eventually edged out 4-3. On his match against his Korean opponent, Aloysius said, “It was a tight game against my opponent. We initially trailed but we managed to come back in the third end. In the fourth end, we made a mistake and we lost a close match. It is a very good start to the competition and we are prepared for the next two pool games. I was very happy to have Singaporeans cheer us on.” Image via Singapore National Paralympic Council The Bahrain 2021 AYPG will be held from 2 to 6 December 2021. Singapore will be represented in the sports of Athletics, Boccia, Swimming and Table Tennis. At the last edition of the AYPG held in Dubai in 2017, Singapore took home 5 gold, 6 silver and 7 bronze medals. #SportPlusSG #Bahrain2021 #AsianParaYouthGames #TeamSingapore

11 tournament debutants in Tatsuma Yoshida's youthful looking Singapore side Image via AFF Suzuki Cup 28 November 2021, Singapore - Singapore football Head Coach Tatsuma Yoshida has named a 28-strong squad, his final selection, that will compete in next month's ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup. Four-time winners Singapore, who kick-off their AFF Suzuki Cup campaign against Myanmar on Sunday, 5 December at the National Stadium, will be looking to add a fifth AFF Suzuki Cup trophy to their cabinet having previously won it in 1998, 2004, 2007 and 2012. They have however, failed to make it into the last four since the last time they won the competition. Image via AFF Suzuki Cup Of the 28 players selected in Singapore's AFF Suzuki Cup squad, 11 will be making their competition debuts. Namely Zharfan Rohaizad, Nur Adam Abdullah, Iqram Rifqi, Tajeli Salamat, Saifullah Akbar, Hami Syahin, Song Ui-young, Amy Recha, Hafiz Nor, Shawal Anuar and Ilhan Fandi. Singapore have been drawn in Group A and will have to navigate Myanmar, the Philippines, Timor Leste, as well as five-time champions Thailand for a place in the semi-finals of the competition. Image via AFF Suzuki Cup This year's edition of the AFF Suzuki Cup is the first time the tournament has been held in a single country, largely owing to COVID-19 and considerations on control measures as well as fan safety. Final Squad for Singapore Goalkeepers Hassan Sunny (Lion City Sailors), Izwan Mahbud (Hougang United), Syazwan Buhari (Tampines Rovers), Zharfan Rohaizad ( Tanjong Pagar United) Defenders Amirul Adli (Lion City Sailors), Nur Adam Abdullah (Lion City Sailors), Tajeli Salamat (Lion City Sailors), Iqram Rifqi (Geylang International), Irfan Fandi (BG Pathum United), Nazrul Nazari (Hougang United) , Safuwan Baharudin ( Selangor FC), Shakir Hamzah (Tanjong Pagar), Zulqarnaen Suzliman (Young Lions) Midfielders Adam Swandi (Lion City Sailors), Hariss Harun (Lion City Sailors), Saifullah Akbar (Lion City Sailors), Shahdan Sulaiman (Lion City Sailors), Song Uiyoung (Lion City Sailors), M. Anumanthan (Kedah FC), Hami Syahin (Young Lions), Zulfahmi Arifin (Sukhothai FC) Forwards Faris Ramli (Lion City Sailors), Hafiz Nor (Lion City Sailors), Gabriel Quak (Lion City Sailors), Amy Recha (Geylang International), Shawal Anuar (Hougang United), Ilhan Fandi (Young Lions), Ikhsan Fandi (FK Jerv) #SportPlusSG #Football #SingaporeFootball #AFFSuzukiCup #SuzukiCup2020

Singapore's top male shuttler books place in last eight of Indonesian Open after overcoming defending world champion Image via BWF TV 26 November 2021, Bali, Indonesia - Singapore's top male shuttler Loh Kean Yew has defeated Japanese world number 1 Kento Momota to advance to the quarter finals of the Indonesian Open in Bali. Momota, who is also the defending world champion, looked off colour and had a tough time defending against Loh, who eventually took the game after a rubber set 21-7, 17-21, 21-19 to book his place in the last eight of the US$850,000 (S$1.16 million) Badminton World Federation World Tour Super 1000 tournament. Image via Badminton Photo First Career Win It is Loh Kean Yew's first career win against Kento Momota, and signals the rise of Singapore's Loh. He won the Super 500 Hylo Open in Germany at the start of the month, and has made a name for himself as a giant killer after defeating a string of top players in the past month, including Chinese Taipei's world No. 4 Chou Tien-chen, Malaysia's All England champion Lee Zii Jia (seventh), Taiwanese Wang Tzu-wei (11th), Denmark's Rasmus Gemke (13th) and India's Lakshya Sen (19th). The world No. 26 will face Denmark's 21st-ranked Hans-Kristian Vittinghus at the Bali International Convention Center today. Loh had dominated in the first match, making light work of Momota to win 21-7, but fell behind in the second match to his more experienced opponent. Image via Badminton Photo Loh then looked set to lose the decider as he trailed 9-14, but fought his way back and required just one match point to seal the huge upset and his first win over Momota, who missed at the net, in two attempts. Image via Badminton Photo Yeo Jiamin falls to Akane Yamaguchi Singapore's top female shuttler Yeo Jiamin, who also put in an impressive showing earlier this week by overcoming Poland's Jordan Hart 21-9, 21-10 to book her place in the last 16, did not enjoy the same success as her male counterpart in her fourth career clash against third ranked Akane Yamaguchi. Yeo fell to her Japanese opponent who advanced to the quarter-finals after a 21-15, 19-21, 21-14 victory over Singapore's world no 18. Yeo will be back in action in Bali next week, making history as the first Singaporean to qualify for the season-ending Badminton World Federation World Tour Finals. #SportPlusSG #Badminton #IndonesiaOpen #TeamSingapore

Singapore’s top shuttlers qualify for their first BWF Super 500 Finals at the HYLO Open 2021, as Loh Kean Yew claims his seventh international title and Yeo Jia Min finishes a strong second Image via TotalEnergies X Badminton 8 November 2021, Saarbrücken, Germany - Team Singapore shuttlers Loh Kean Yew and Yeo Jiamin have put in starring performances at Germany's HYLO Open 2021 badminton competition, with the republic’s top male shuttler Loh winning the Men’s Singles title and fellow Olympian Yeo bagging the silver in the Women’s Singles event. This is the first time both athletes have qualified for a Super 500 final, which is the fourth-highest level on badminton’s world tour. Despite missing out on the champion's trophy, Yeo claimed 7,800 ranking points which should see her break into the world's top 20 for the first time. Image via Badminton Photo Men’s Singles In the Men’s Singles final, Loh was met with Malaysia's world No. 8 Lee Zii Jia. Lee started off strong, taking home the first set 21-19. Regardless, Loh remain unfazed and came back even stronger claiming the following two sets 21-13 and 17-12 (retired), clinching the Men’s Singles championship title. To earn his spot in the final, Loh fired through his matches in the qualifying rounds, overcoming higher ranked opponents - Taiwanese world No. 4 Chou Tien-chen, France's world No. 35 Toma Junior Popov, Denmark's world No. 13 Rasmus Gemke. In the semi-final, he was faced against yet another higher ranked opponent, World no. 21 Lakshya Sen from India. This was the duo’s third face-off in the past month with the previous two being the final of the YONEX Dutch Open and a qualifying match at the French Open. This encounter saw Loh taking home the win in straight sets 21-18, 21-12, booking his ticket to the final. Women’s Singles In the Women’s Singles event, 26th ranked Yeo Jia Min finished second after losing out to Thailand’s 14th-ranked Busanan Ongbamrungphan 21-10, 21-14 in the final of the HYLO Open 2021. Image via TotalEnergies X Badminton Yeo's sterling performances en route to the final included defeating Belgian's Lianne Tan 14-21, 21-9, 21-18 in the quarter-finals, and higher ranked opposition in the form of Canadian World no. 11 Michelle Li 21-12, 23-25, 21-12 to land her hard earned spot in the final. With this achievement, Yeo has won herself a cheque for SGD $16,400 and 7,800 ranking points that should earn her first ever qualification into the top 20 players in the world. #SportPlusSG #Badminton #HYLOOpen2021 #TeamSingapore

Four big stories you might have missed about Singapore's cycling athletes in recent months as they make waves internationally Image via Chelsie Tan's Instagram What a year 2021 has proven to be for Singapore's cycling team, as our cycling athletes continue to make the headlines internationally in recent months. For those who might not have been following the news as closely as you would have liked, fret not because here we recap four (4) of the big stories and key milestones that have put Singapore cycling on the world map! Image via GreenEdge Cycling First Singapore Woman to earn professional contract in Europe Singapore Road Cyclist Chelsie Tan has become the first Singapore woman to earn a professional contract with a team in Europe. The 31 year-old will be racing for Australian professional outfit Team BikeExchange in the International Cycling Union (UCI) Women's World Tour next year, which will feature 22 races including the women's Tour de France. Tan, who made her bow for the national team in 2018, has signed on a one-year contract and is the second Singaporean to ride professionally in Europe. Image via Singapore Cycling Federation First Singaporean to Finish on the Podium at a UCI Mountain Bike World Cup Singaporean Mountain biker Riyadh Hakim became the first Singaporean to finish on the podium at a UCI Mountain Bike World Cup on 3 October, when he finished fifth in the Barcelona leg of the UCI Mountain Bike Eliminator World Cup. The 22 year-old followed up his sterling performance with a second podium finish within the space of a month when he took fourth at the Opet Mugla Cup Eliminator (XCE) Race final in Marmaris, Turkey on 31 October. A podium spot is awarded to the top five finishers. Image via Singapore Cycling Federation First Singaporean to race for a professional team in Europe National cyclist Goh Choon Huat became the first Singaporean cyclist to ride professionally in Europe when he joined Team BikeExchange as a stagiaire in July this year. A stagiaire is an amateur cyclist riding temporarily for a professional team. Apart from riding and training with the team, Goh also received the opportunities to race in the Vuelta a Burgos in Spain, the Tour of Slovakia and the Tour of Croatia, where he played a role in aiding in the team's overall strategy, and acted as a pace setter for his teammates. Image via Sport Singapore First Singaporeans to Compete at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships Last month, national track cyclists Luo Yiwei (women's individual pursuit), Calvin Sim (men's omnium) and Elyas Yusoff (men's 1km time trial and sprint) were the first Singaporeans to compete at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in France, which took place from Oct 20-24. Image via Sport Singapore #SportPlusSG #Cycling #SingaporeCycling

Singapore rising table tennis star emerges tops at U19 Boys Singles event in Hungary Image via World Table Tennis 4 November 2021, Szombathely, Hungary - Singapore table tennis starlet Izaac Quek has landed his second title in the space of the week at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Youth Contender series, this time coming out tops in the Boys U19 category in Szombathely, Hungary. Quek, who also emerged as champion in the U15 category at the Lignano, Italy leg of the WTT Youth Contender series last week, found his road to the trophy a little harder this week, but eventually came out tops by dispatching Adam Stalzer of Czech Republic in a five-match thriller to win 3-2. Image via Singapore Table Tennis Association He had earlier also had to overcome Iranian competitor Navid Shams over five sets in the last four. Quek's rise to prominence this year has not been a surprise, having been named as the first Singaporean to top the World Table Tennis U15 rankings in April. Singapore Girls Duo Land Double Silver in Slovakia Elsewhere, teammates Zhou Jingyi and Ser Lin Qian were also in action in Slovakia, with Zhou losing out in the final of the U19 Girls Singles to Australia's Liu Yangzi 0-3, while Ser lost out to Suhana Saini of India by a similar scoreline in the Girls U15 Singles Final. Quek will trade places with Zhou and Ser in the next few days, with the former heading to Senec, Slovakia while the girls will head to Szombathely Hungary for their next WTT Youth Contender competitions. Image via Singapore Table Tennis Association Results for WTT Youth Contender Szombathely, 1 to 7 November 2021 U19 Boys’ Singles Group Stage QUEK Yong Izaac (SGP) vs Alex Federico OTA COL 3-1 QUEK Yong Izaac (SGP) vs Vishwa DEENADAY IND 3-0 Round of 32 QUEK Yong Izaac (SGP) vs Mael VAN DESSEL LUX 3-0 Round of 16 QUEK Yong Izaac (SGP) vs Himnakulhpuing IND 3-0 Quarter-Finals QUEK Yong Izaac (SGP) vs Finn LUU AUS 3-1 Semi-Finals QUEK Yong Izaac (SGP) vs Navid SHAMS IRI 3-2 Finals QUEK Yong Izaac (SGP) vs Adam STALZER CZE 3-2 Image via Singapore Table Tennis Association Results for WTT Youth Contender, Senec, 1 to 7 November 2021 2021 U19 Girls’ Singles Group Stage Zhou Jingyi SGP vs SZTWIERTNIA Ilona POL 3-0 Zhou Jingyi SGP vs Ilona SZTWIERTNIA POL 3-0 Round of 16 Zhou Jingyi SGP vs Darya KISEL BLR 3-0 Quarter-Finals Zhou Jingyi SGP vs Nithya MANI IND 3-1 Semi-Finals Zhou Jingyi SGP vs Yashaswini Deepak 3-2 Finals Zhou Jingyi SGP vs Yangzi LIU 0-3 U15 Girls’ Singles Group Stage Ser Lin Qian SGP vs Alice NILSSON SWE 3-0 Ser Lin Qian SGP vs Emma MOLNAROV SVK 3-0 Round of 16 Ser Lin Qian SGP vs Veronika POLAKOVA CZE 3-1 Quarter-Finals Ser Lin Qian SGP vs Shriya ANAND IND 3-0 Semi-Finals Ser Lin Qian SGP vs Silvia COLL ESP 3-0 Finals Ser Lin Qian SGP vs Suhana SAINI 0-3 #SportPlusSG #TableTennis #WTTYouthContender #IzaacQuek #ZhouJingYi #SerLinQian