6 athletes selected to represent Singapore at upcoming Paralympic Games
Nur Syahidah Alim training. (Photo: SDSC)
SINGAPORE: Six athletes including dual world record holder Yip Pin Xiu and world number one para-archer Nur Syahidah Alim have been selected by the Singapore National Paralympic Council (SNPC) for the upcoming Paralympic Games.
Yip, who won two gold medals at the last edition of the Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, and Syahidah will be joined by shot-putter Muhammad Diroy, who will make his second Games appearance.
Debutants Steve Tee Wee Leong (cycling), Sophie Soon Jin Wen (swimming) and Toh Wei Soong (swimming) will also be making the trip to Tokyo, said SNPC in a press release on Thursday.
Singapore has also earned a team slot in equestrian, with the names of the selected athletes to be announced at a later date, said SNPC.
“I feel blessed to be selected for the Paralympic Games. This is a proud moment in my journey as an athlete. This would not have been possible without the support of my team," said Syahidah, who currently leads the compound women open individual world rankings with 230.8 points.
"I will continue to train hard, do my best to achieve extraordinary feats and make Singapore proud at the Games."
Chef de Mission of the Singapore contingent Shirley Low noted that the athletes demonstrated "incredible resilience and adaptability" to continue training hard amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Preparing for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games has been very challenging against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, our athletes have demonstrated incredible resilience and adaptability to continue training hard," she said
"We are confident that they will all make Singapore proud. I call on all Singaporeans to come together to cheer our athletes on as one Team Singapore."
Selection for the Games will continue until Jul 30. Along with the Olympics, the Games were delayed a year due to the pandemic and will begin on Aug 24.
