In Japan, gymnast Amanda Yap targets beam final
Singaporean gymnast Amanda Yap is aiming to reach the balance beam final at her debut Asian Games in Japan. The 16-year-old athlete enters the tournament after winning a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in July.
As Channel NewsAsia reports, this award was Singapore's first artistic gymnastics medal at the Commonwealth Games since 2014. At the same time, Yap is cautious in assessing her prospects, as she will compete against some of the continent's strongest gymnasts at the Asian Games.
Goal at her debut tournament
The artistic gymnastics programme starts on Sunday and will last five days. Fourteen gold medals will be awarded during the competition. Yap noted that the Commonwealth Games silver is an important achievement, but it does not guarantee success at the next competition. She wants to focus on her own performance and, if possible, qualify for the final.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Recovery after injury
In October last year, Yap became the first Singaporean gymnast to qualify for a world championship final. She finished sixth in the balance beam final. Two months later, the athlete won silver in this discipline at the Southeast Asian Games in Bangkok, ending Singapore's 20-year wait for an individual balance beam medal at the regional tournament.
Yap's preparation for the Asian Games was complicated by a back injury, which led her to adjust her training programme. The gymnast is now gradually returning to her usual routine and working on the consistency of her elements. To avoid worsening her condition before the competition, she is not yet including some elements in her routines.
