Meet the 12-year-old Singapore sailor chasing big winds at the SEA Games

SINGAPORE: Anya Zahedi will make her Southeast Asian (SEA) Games debut in Thailand next week – but she stands out even among a sea of top athletes. 

The 12-year-old Optimist class sailor is among the youngest athletes in Singapore's record 930-strong contingent.  

"I feel nervous, but excited at the same time. Because it's my first (time) representing Singapore at a major Games,” the Primary 6 student told CNA. 

“I really want to do well, but I know that the competition is really tough." 

ON THE WATER SINCE AGE SEVEN

Anya picked up sailing as a co-curricular activity (CCA) in Primary 1 at Tao Nan School, inspired by her older sister Nia Zahedi, who is also a national sailor. 

After joining Singapore Sailing Federation’s – the national governing body for the sport – weekend activities, she progressed quickly. 

She earned a place in the Gold Fleet – the top tier of young Optimist sailors, and later advanced through the developmental clinic.

She secured a spot on the national training squad and by the age of 10, became a member of the national team. 

In the lead-up to the SEA Games, Anya trained five times a week at the National Sailing Centre, working on her technique and conditioning as well as attending team-racing sessions. 

Despite her young age, she has competed in multiple local and overseas regattas, including events in Thailand, Turkiye and Greece. 

In October, she placed fourth out of 175 competitors at the Optimist Asian & Oceanian Championship in Oman. She was the top female as well as top youngest sailor in the fleet. 

Fellow Team Singapore sailor Ethan Chia, 15, who is also bound for the SEA Games, finished second at the same event.  

The Zahedi sisters often attend each other’s races, offering advice and encouragement. They will travel to Thailand together. 

At her debut Games, Anya said her goals are to learn from the region’s strongest sailors and refine her startline strategy – an area she hopes to improve. 

“Whenever I start in a big fleet next to stronger sailors, I always have a bad start, which is not very good as I'm unable to get good results at the end of the race,” she said. “(I want to) learn how to have better starts … I’ll be able to learn a lot from the other sailors overseas.” 

TEAM SINGAPORE SAILORS 

Singapore is sending 11 sailors to Thailand, featuring a mix of experienced athletes and fresh faces. 

Seven in the contingent are debutants, including Singapore's Olympic bronze medallist and Asian Games champion Max Maeder.  

His discipline, formula kite, will be contested at the SEA Games for the first time. 

The 19-year-old enters the event in strong form, having clinched a hard-fought silver at the Formula Kite World Championships in Sardinia, Italy, in October. 

“I do feel fully prepared to compete at the SEA Games,” he told CNA. 

“The important thing is that my perspective is not result-oriented – it is performance-oriented. Funnily enough, when you do that, more often than not, you get the best results.”

The sailors will face stiff competition, with hosts Thailand expected to be dominant again after topping the medal table in the previous two SEA Games editions that included the sport. 

Leading the team is veteran Ryan Lo, 28, who is taking part in his fifth Games. Asia's highest-ranked ILCA7 sailor, he has flown the Singapore flag at two Olympic Games – Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024. 

He is aiming to retain his gold from the last SEA Games, but faces stiff competition from Thai and Malaysian rivals. 

"We are all very seasoned sailors. I know them quite well. They know me quite well. So, I'm looking forward to the battles that will come and just try to embrace the whole (experience),” he said. 

Team Singapore sailors are seeking to emulate their haul at the last edition in Cambodia where they brought home seven medals, including three gold, and finished second overall behind Thailand. 

This year’s sailing competition will take place in Chonburi, held over nine days from Dec 10.