Singapore gymnast Amanda Yap has set her sights on reaching the balance beam final at her first Asian Games, as she seeks to continue her remarkable breakthrough season on the international stage. 

The 16-year-old will enter the competition in Japan next week, fresh from her Commonwealth Games silver medal in Glasgow in July - Singapore's first at the Games since 2014. However, she is tempering expectations ahead of the Asian Games, where she will compete against some of the best gymnasts in the continent. 

The artistic programme begins Monday, with 14 gold medals on offer over five days. 

"Even though it was quite a big accomplishment, it's just one competition. That doesn't mean that everything else is going to go well," she said of her Commonwealth silver. "I'm just hoping to go into the Asian Games and do my best because I know that the competitors, especially in gymnastics, are really strong. "So just being able to compete alongside them will already be such an honour, and hopefully I can get into a final, and I'll just do my best." 

Yap became the first Singaporean gymnast to qualify for a World Championships final when she finished sixth last October. 

Two months later, she claimed a silver medal on the beam in the Bangkok SEA Games to end Singapore's 20-year medal drought in the event at the regional meet. However, her build-up to the Asian Games has not been entirely smooth – a back injury has led to some adjustments in her training regimen. However, as the Games draw nearer, she is gradually returning to her normal schedule. 

"I'm still coming back from an injury, so we kind of modified my training a little bit. But now, as we're nearing the Games, I'm getting back to usual training," she said. "We're focusing on maintaining skills and just keeping it consistent." 

Yap revealed she is keeping some skills out of her routines for now so that the injury does not get worse before the competition.

Sources:

https://www.channelnewsasia.com

https://www.intlnews.net/

Written by

Dee