Eighty-five NUS athletes and staff took part in the 21^st iteration of the ASEAN University Games (AUG), joining the 268-strong Singapore contingent from 25 June to 6 July in Surabaya and Malang, Indonesia. This year’s AUG featured nearly 1,400 athletes and more than 600 officials from 11 ASEAN countries. These student-athletes competed across 21 sports, including Athletics, Archery, Badminton, 3x3 Basketball, Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Bridge, Chess, Futsal, Handball, Judo, Karate, Pencak Silat, Petanque, Sepak Takraw, Sport Climbing, Swimming, Taekwondo, Tennis, Volleyball, and Wushu, vying for a total of 250 medals.

A Transformative Experience for Everyone

Student life is an integral part of a holistic NUS education, with sports playing a crucial role in enriching the overall journey. Participation in the AUG certainly provides a wealth of sports opportunities, but it also offers a unique transformative experience for our NUS athletes.

Assistant Dean of Students Dr Kristy Fu, who attended the Games during the first week, said, “Our students faced challenges such as competing in diverse national teams alongside players from various institutes, navigating home crowd pressures in Indonesia, and adapting to environmental challenges like weather changes, different playing grounds, and limited equipment.” Dr Fu continued, “Through competing with their ASEAN sports counterparts, our students come to embrace inclusiveness and diversity while staying competitive and upholding personal and team excellence, as well as national pride.”

Dr Fu also highlighted the valuable learning opportunities for NUS staff at the AUG. For example, the NUS Office of Student Affairs Sports Section served as Sports Team Managers and Officials at the AUG, supporting the Singapore contingent and the ASEAN University Sports Council (AUSC). They learnt to collaborate with teams from other local and regional universities and schools to ensure that student-athletes were supported and inspired throughout the competition.

The power of belief and tenacity

For TeamNUS swimmer Nicholas Cheong, the men’s breaststroke 50m was the highlight of the AUG. He explained, “My brother—my idol and source of inspiration—won the event with a meet record at the last AUG, so it provided extra motivation for me to match his achievement.” Nicholas' brother is former Singapore national swimmer and NUS alumnus Christopher Cheong.

However, last November, the Year 2 NUS Business School undergraduate suffered a wrist fracture, breaking both his scaphoid and radius. Despite a typical recovery time of 6 to 9 months threatening his participation in the AUG, he displayed remarkable tenacity and committed fully to his rehabilitation. His dedication paid off with a stunning 28.96 seconds in the men’s 50m breaststroke, earning him a silver medal!

“Considering the rollercoaster of events over the past eight months, winning silver and going sub-29 seconds for only the fourth time in my life feels nothing short of miraculous. It is truly a testament to the power of belief and tenacity in achieving the unimaginable,” Nicholas shared. “I’m grateful for the results and hope to apply the lessons learnt in my next competition!"

Facing uncertainty and adapting

TeamNUS Silat exponent Nurul Irbah was one of NUS' top female competitors at last year's Tertiary Silat Championship in Singapore. However, recent rule changes for the sport at this AUG brought some uncertainty. “It’s my first international competition in five years, and I had to learn and adapt to many new techniques and gameplay styles,” she explained. Adding to that was the challenge of balancing studies and training as a Year 3 Faculty of Science student, which motivated her to improve her time management and efficiency in both school and sports.

Nevertheless, Irbah excelled, winning the AUG Women's Class A category, and securing a gold medal for Singapore in a thrilling finale against her Indonesian opponent. Her mother, Mdm Norrazlin Hamim, said, “This competition is the pinnacle of Irbah’s Silat journey and I am beyond ecstatic that she has come this far. I am so proud of her!”

Still, the former NUS Silat captain remembers her teammates back home. She said, “Participating in this AUG allowed me to learn from athletes from other countries, and I hope to bring these new techniques and strategies back to my NUS Silat team. I also hope to inspire the current members to strive for the chance to represent Singapore in the next AUG.”

One final hurrah

This AUG marked a significant achievement for the Singapore men’s volleyball team, which secured a medal for the first time in a competition featuring an expanded field of more than three teams. In the bronze medal match against Malaysia, TeamNUS volleyball player Ajay Singh Shergill was the top scorer, earning 17 points for Singapore across four hard-fought sets. “Winning the bronze medal means so much to the team and me,” Ajay shared. “I hope this inspires the next generation of volleyball players to believe we can achieve even greater things on the international stage.”

Currently pursuing a double major in Psychology and Business Management at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, the Year 3 undergraduate also revealed that this AUG will be his final international competition. “It’s a bittersweet moment for me but it’s a fitting way to retire,” shared the veteran, who started playing volleyball in primary school and has represented the National Team since 2015.

But this is not the end of Ajay's journey with volleyball. In 2023, he became a registered, qualified volleyball coach and is now coaching at two primary schools and two open category teams. “What I loved most about the sport were the values that it instilled in me,” he reflected. “When I started playing volleyball, it showed me that when I worked hard at something, I could achieve it, and that gave me confidence in other areas as well.”

“That’s why I believe it’s important for young kids to play sports and develop these attitudes and values,” Ajay emphasised.

Valerie also reconnected with her Vietnamese counterpart, Le Ngoc Han from the Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics and Finance. The two had met briefly last year at another competition and connected on Instagram. They had agreed to try and meet at the next international event, which turned out to be this AUG. “It was a truly heartfelt moment! I am glad we kept our promise and finally had a chance to converse, despite the language barrier. I am really looking forward to seeing our progress in future competitions!”

This AUG marks her first time serving on the AUSC Technical Committee for the games. The committee’s role was to ensure that the technical aspects of the games ran smoothly and met all necessary standards.

Additionally, she oversaw the accreditation process for the event, coordinating with local volunteers to manage over 2,000 athletes and officials. “This experience has been both challenging and rewarding, and I was fortunate to work alongside dedicated colleagues from both the AUSC and the organising committee,” she said.

Her Singapore tennis team’s well-being took centre stage as they faced Surabaya's scorching weather and a packed competition schedule from early morning till late at night. As every player gave their all for Singapore, they pushed their bodies to the limit, making it crucial for Farhana to help them balance their expectations and safeguard their well-being. “As Team Managers, we need to remind them to stay healthy, happy, and enjoy the matches. After all, representing Singapore at the AUG shows they've reached a high standard, and I saw the immense effort our players put in on the courts. They should be proud.”

Medal tally of TeamNUS participants

Team Singapore took home 11 Gold, 27 Silver and 36 Bronze medals. Our TeamNUS athletes proudly contributed 7 Gold, 14 Silver and 16 Bronze medals to this total. Congratulations to all our student-athletes and sports managers for representing Singapore!

Gold

1. Athletics (Pole Vault) - Low Jun Yu (National Record)

2. Bridge (Men's Pair) - Yang Junyan, Gao Heng

3. Bridge (Men's Team) - Gao Heng, Yang Junyan, Timothy Wu, Teo Xue Heng

4. ⁠Silat (Women's Match Class A) - Nurul Irbah

5. ⁠Sport Climbing (Men’s Boulder) - Philus Tan

6. Taekwondo (Women's Individual) - Valerie Kang

7. ⁠Wushu (Women’s Qiangshu) - Le Yin Shuen

Silver

1. Athletics (High Jump) - Jade Chew

2. Bridge (Men's Pair) - Timothy Wu, Jerald Kiew

3. ⁠Handball (Men's Team) - Joshea Koh, Vernen Lim, Ian Tay

4. ⁠Judo (Men’s Under 66kg) - Zhou Yujie

5. ⁠Judo (Men’s Under 73kg) - Melvin Loo

6. ⁠Judo (Women’s Under 57kg) - Janelle Tan

7. Silat (Men's Artistic Double) – Kashyfi Bin Salleh & Mirza Nabil

8. Silat (Women's Artistic Team) – Rasyidah Binti Mudzzaffar, Nurul Helyna, Nur Sabrina

9. Silat (Men’s Match Class F) – Muhammad Shuhada

10. Silat (Men’s Match Class I) – Faiz Rusyaidi

11. Swimming (Men’s 50m Breaststroke) - Nicholas Cheong

12. Tennis (Men's team) – Tiah Jeng Ern, Ho Cheuk Hei

13. ⁠Wushu (Women's optional Jianshu) - Le Yin Shuen

14. ⁠Wushu (Women's optional Taiji Jian) - Teo Yu Xuan

Bronze

1. Archery (Recurve Men's Team) - Tan Wei Chuen

2. Archery (Compound Men's Team) - Desmond Kwa Jun Liang

3. Athletics (Men’s 10,000m) - Jon Lim

4. Chess (Men's team Blitz) - Tan Jun Hao & Bryce Tan

5. Chess (Men's team Rapid) - Tan Jun Hao & Bryce Tan

6. Chess (Men's team Standard Chess) - Tan Jun Hao & Bryce Tan

7. Climbing (Men’s Lead) - Philus Tan

8. Judo (Mixed Team) - Yujie, Melvin, Janelle, Hui Xin

9. ⁠Judo (Women’s Under 62kg) - Chua Hui Xin

10. ⁠Silat (Women's Artistic Solo) – Nurdianna Binte Sidek

11. Taekwondo (Men’s team) - Tham Chun Hoe, See Wei Wen

12. Taekwondo (Pair) - Tham Chun Hoe

13. ⁠Tennis (Women's team) - Tammy Tan, Claire Chan, Lim Lerr Min

14.  Volleyball (Men's team) - Ajay Singh, Avan Cheah, Edwin Lee, Jireh Tay, Kelvin Chua, Lee Zhan Hao, Nicholas Law, Wong Chang Wei

15. ⁠Volleyball (Women's team) - Astrid Lee, Ashley Goh, Natalie Lai, Chan Yao Yi, Chua Zi Tian, Tanya Phan

16. Wushu (Women's optional Chang Quan) - Kimberly Ong

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This story first appeared in NUSNews on 8 July 2024.