Artistic Gymnastics

2021 was a roller coaster year which saw the nation go from Phase 3 of reopening to Phase 2 (16 May to 13 June 2021) of Heightened Alert to Phase 3 (14 June 2021) of heightened alert and reverted to Phase 2 (22 July to 18 August 2021) Heightened Alert before restrictions were eased progressively towards the end of the year. As a result, the annual Singapore Open Gymnastics Championships was cancelled for the second year running, and the inaugural Summer Cup, which was due to be held in August, did not come to fruition. Besides the cancellation of the local competitions, the 31st South East Asian Games was unfortunately postponed as well. Nonetheless, the high-performance calendar had several highlights.

Olympic Games The 2020 Olympic Games officially took place in Tokyo, Japan, from 23 July 2021 – 8 August 2021. Singapore was represented by debutant Tan Sze En on 25 July 2021. Till date, Sze En is only the second gymnast to represent Singapore in the Olympic Games, with Lim Heem Wei, debuting in the 2012 London Olympic Games. Sze En competed on the Balance Beam and Floor Exercise and put up a great performance, scoring 11.033 and 11.833 on the respective apparatus, despite carrying a shoulder injury.

Said Sze En “Overall, I’m really proud of my performance. Beam could’ve gone better but I’m happy with how I recovered after my mistake. It feels surreal to say that I’m now an Olympian, and I really want to thank everyone who has helped me along this journey. I wouldn’t be where I am today without you, so a huge thank you to everyone!”.

Tan Sze En on Floor Exercise at the Tokyo Olympic Games

Singapore Gymnastics Classic With the pandemic and uncertainties around air travel and various restrictions, the athletes have had very limited opportunities to take part in a competition. To give athletes something to work towards and to keep their motivation high, the inaugural Singapore Gymnastics Classic was held in Bishan Sports Hall on 4-5 December 2021.

The Singapore Gymnastics Classic event targeted High-Performance athletes and saw a total of 27 athletes participate across the two disciplines: Men’s Artistic Gymnastics and Women’s Artistic Gymnastics.

Medallists of the Pommel Horse event.

Lunar Competition The inaugural Singapore Gymnastics Lunar Competition was held on 19-20 February 2022. The competition provided another opportunity for the High-Performance athletes to compete and to prepare for the National Championships which serves as the National Squad ranking exercise.

The competition had 26 athletes participate across the two disciplines: Men’s Artistic Gymnastics and Women’s Artistic Gymnastics

Winners of the Lunar competition

National Championships A total of 5 junior and 7 senior athletes qualified for the National Junior and Senior Squad, which allows them to be eligible for future selection trials for international competitions. Ethan Lim, making his debut as a senior athlete came in first place in the Individual All-Around category with a score of 72.516, with Zac Liew finishing second with a score of 69.549 and Robin Sim Boon Pin claiming the bronze medal with a score of 69.249.

Winners of the Men’s Artistic Gymnastics (FIG Senior) Individual All-Around

Over in the women’s division, 8 junior and 6 senior athletes qualified for the National Junior and Senior Squad. Nadine Joy Nathan finished first in the Individual All-Around category with a score of 46.050, with Shandy Poh coming in second with 45.150 and Emma Yap placing third with 42.850.

Winners of the Women’s Artistic Gymnastics (FIG Senior) Individual All-Around