Team Singapore at the Commonwealth Games: Who you should look out for

SINGAPORE: The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games will officially open on Thursday (Jul 28), with Singapore represented by a contingent of 67 athletes in nine sports.

At the last edition of the Games in Gold Coast in 2018, Team Singapore clinched a total of nine medals, including five gold medals.

Here are some of Team Singapore's athletes you should keep an eye out for over the next two weeks of the Games:

1. Teong Tzen Wei 

Teong is enjoying a stellar 2022.

The 24-year-old swimmer smashed two Southeast Asian Games records at the 31st SEA Games in May, becoming the first Southeast Asian swimmer to go under 22s in the 50m freestyle. He also won gold in the 50m butterfly.

A month later at the FINA World Championships, Teong finished eighth in the 50m butterfly final. En route to the championship race, Teong set a personal best of 23.03sec in the semi-final, the best time set by an Asian swimmer in the event this year. He was also the only Asian representative in the final.

Competing in both the 50m butterfly and 50m freestyle events at the Commonwealth Games, look to the explosive swimmer to better his timings and continue his stellar form.

2. Loh Kean Yew

After a whirlwind second half of 2021 that culminated in him being crowned badminton world champion, 2022 has proved a tougher proposition for 25-year-old Loh Kean Yew.

Currently ninth in the world rankings, Loh fell just short of an elusive SEA Games singles gold in May and most recently missed out on the finals of the Singapore Open.

But the Commonwealth Games men's singles could present the perfect opportunity for him to win his first tournament of the year.

This is Loh's second Commonwealth Games, and he will look to be only the second Singaporean to reach the men's singles final since Derek Wong in 2014.

3. Shanti Pereira

Singapore's sprint queen is another athlete on a strong run of form.

In May, she powered to victory in the 200m final at the 31st SEA Games. Shanti recorded a time of 23.52s in the race, a new national record.

Days later, she added another medal to her collection after finishing second in the 100m final. 

At the World Athletics Championships this month, Shanti clocked 23.53s in the 200m, finishing just shy of her national mark.

Speaking to CNA earlier this year, the 25-year-old said she feels she can go even faster. The Commonwealth Games could just be the perfect opportunity for Shanti to do so.

4. Toh Wei Soong

One of the unique features of the Commonwealth Games is that its para-sport programme runs alongside the main multi-sport event.

Para-swimmer Toh Wei Soong will be in action at this year's Games. He clinched a bronze in the S7 50m freestyle event at the 2018 Games and will be competing in the same discipline in Birmingham.

At last year’s Paralympics, Toh finished seventh in the 50m S7 freestyle final and fourth in the S7 50m butterfly final. He set new national records in both events.

5. Feng Tianwei

Arguably Singapore's most successful table tennis player, Feng Tianwei will feature in what could be her last Commonwealth Games.

The world number 16 finished with a bronze in the women's singles in 2018, and partnered Yu Mengyu to take home gold in the women's doubles that year.

Feng, who has three Olympics medals, will also play the role of mentor in the women's team event. 

At the 2018 Games, Singapore's table tennis players clinched three golds, two silvers and a bronze.

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