[Updated Aug 17] With the live broadcast rights debacle out of the way, sports fans in Singapore can finally set their sights on Rio de Janeiro and embrace the spirit of the Games of the XXXI Olympiad. Here are five Singaporean athletes we’ll be watching.
His accolades are there for all to see, and a nation is holding its breath. Joseph Schooling has won medals at the Southeast Asian Games, the Commonwealth Games, the Asian Games and, most impressively, the FINA World Championships. Now, Olympic glory is a genuine possibility. A sign of how far he's come: Schooling will swim alongside the legendary Michael Phelps in Heat 6 of the 100m butterfly.
Schedule for Men’s 100m Freestyle
Heats: Heat 6, Aug 10, 12:17am [Advanced to semi-finals after finishing second in Heat 6]
Semi-Final 1: Aug 10, 9:03am [Eliminated after finishing 8th in Semi-Final 1]
Final: Aug 11, 10:03am
Schedule for Men’s 100m Butterfly
Heats: Heat 6, Aug 12, 1:31am [Advanced to semi-finals after winning Heat 6]
Semi-Finals: Aug 12, 10:42am [Advanced to Final after winning Semi-Final 2]
Final: Aug 13, 9:12am [Won gold medal and set a new Olympic record with a time of 50.39 seconds]
Sports shooter Jasmine Ser has medaled at Southeast Asian, Commonwealth and Asian Games levels. She’ll be competing in the 10m air rifle and 50m rifle 3 positions events; events in which she has already struck Commonwealth gold.
Schedule for Women’s 10m Air Rifle
Qualification: Aug 6, 7:30pm [Eliminated after finishing 25th in a field of 51]
Final: Aug 6, 9:30pm
Schedule for Women’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions
Qualification: Aug 11, 8pm [Eliminated after finishing 34th in a field of 37]
With a collection of one silver and two bronzes, Singapore’s most decorated Olympian will be gunning for more success in Rio. Feng kicks off her singles campaign in the third round against Luxembourg's Ni Xialian. She will also compete in the women’s team event which takes place from Aug 12 to 16.
Schedule for Women’s Singles
Round 3: Aug 8, from 10pm [Advanced to next round after winning 4-2]
Round 4: Aug 9, from 7:30am [Advanced to quarter-finals after winning 4-1]
Quarter-Finals: Aug 9, from 9pm [Eliminated after losing 4-0]
Semi-Finals: Aug 10, from 9pm
Bronze Medal Match: Aug 11, 7:30am
Gold Medal Match: Aug 11, 8:30am
Schedule for Women’s Team
Round 1: Aug 12, from 9pm [Advanced to quarter-finals after winning 3-0] Quarter-Finals: Aug 13, from 9pm [Advanced to semi-finals after winning 3-2]
Semi-Finals: Aug 15, from 9pm [Advanced to Bronze Medal Match after losing 3-0]
Bronze Medal Match: Aug 16, 10pm [Finished 4th after losing 3-1]
Singapore is sending an impressive contingent of 10 sailors to Rio, and the first of them booked their place there almost two years ago. Colin Cheng is no stranger to Olympic competition, placing 15th in the Laser event in London back in 2012 – the best performance by an Asian sailor in that event. Cheng is pursuing a top 10 finish in Guanabara Bay.
Schedule for Men’s Laser
Preliminaries: Aug 9, from 12:05am; Aug 10, from 12:15am; Aug 11, from 12:05am; Aug 13, from 12:15am; Aug 14, from 12:05am [Eliminated after finishing 20th in a field of 46]
Saiyidah Aisyah’s story is all about the power of dreams and self-belief. Singapore’s first rowing representative at the Olympics will compete in the single sculls, the event she famously won at the 2013 Southeast Asian Games in Naypyidaw.
Schedule for Women's Single Sculls
Heats: Heat 4, Aug 6, 9pm [Advanced to quarter-finals after finishing third in Heat 4]
Repechage: Aug 8, from 9pm [Not required]
Quarter-Finals: Aug 9, 8:10pm [Out of medal contention after finishing 6th in Quarter-Final 1, advanced to Semi-Final C/D 1]
Semi-Finals C/D: Aug 13, 12am [Advanced to Final D after finishing 6th in Semi-Final C/D 1]
Final D: Aug 13, from 8:40pm [Finished 5th, ranked 23rd overall in a field of 32]