SINGAPORE: She represented Singapore on the football pitch in Jalan Besar Stadium a few months ago. Come December, Tyan Foong will don the country's red and white again - but this time, on the water in the Thai central province of Pathum Thani.
The 16-year-old, who captained the national under-16 girls to a second-place finish at the Lion City Cup youth tournament in July, is now part of a six-member cable wakeboarding team competing at the biennial multi-sport SEA Games.
This year's edition sees the return of wakesports to the line-up for the regional event, after a six-year absence. Before that, wakesports was a steady source of medals for Singapore at the Games, with 20 medals amassed from the 2011, 2015, 2017 and 2019 editions.
Foong hopes to add to that collection in what will be her SEA Games debut.
She started playing football aged eight, before her uncle introduced her and her sisters to wakeboarding about two years later.
Tyan Foong landing a trick at Singapore Wake Park on Sep 17, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Syamil Sapari)
“I found out that I had a lot of interest in it, and then I started doing wakeboarding seriously," Foong told CNA earlier in September.
"I got my first board when I was in Primary Six. Slowly from there, I started getting into it and the coaches here saw that I had potential; and when they started a national team, I started training with them."
The Tanjong Katong Girls’ School student said determination was the common ingredient needed to succeed in both of her sports.
In football, learning how to control the ball under pressure may seem very basic but requires skill that takes time and effort to master, she said.
With wakeboarding, Foong had to persevere in overcoming a phobia of launching herself into the air, after sustaining a bad crash early on.
She is also sitting for her O-Level examinations this year, with her last paper ending on Nov 10, a month before the Games start in Thailand.
It has thus far been a balancing act of carefully managing her time in both commitments.
During the September school holidays, for instance, she headed to the wake park every morning to ride for an hour before returning home to continue studying. But once the exam period starts, training comes to a halt - mostly.
"Or I will go like once in a while," Foong said. “If I'm bored or I get stressed, I'll come back here again just to release some stress.”
She also shared with CNA her considerations behind choosing to represent Singapore at the SEA Games in cable wakeboarding instead of football.
"Football at the national level requires a significant amount of commitment, particularly with centralised training and the intensive schedule that comes with being part of the team," said Foong.
"Wakeboarding has offered me a bit more flexibility to manage both my training and academic responsibilities. Wakeboarding is also a more self-directed sport, where I can progress at my own pace and adjust my training around my other commitments, which has made it a good fit given my current circumstances."
But she also said football "has and will always be a passion of" hers.
"If given the opportunity in the future, I would definitely love to try out for the SEA Games in the football category."
Her teammate Clarence Batchelor meanwhile will be heading to his second Games, after debuting in 2019.
Much has changed since for the 22-year-old freelancer in the events industry, including the death of his father four years ago. That has now become Batchelor's primary motivation to excel in his sport, as a tribute to his dad.
Clarence Batchelor landing a trick at Singapore Wake Park on Sep 17, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Syamil Sapari)
It was his father who first introduced him to wakeboarding nine years ago, and was also present as he competed in his first SEA Games in the Philippines.
“He used to always be here watching me ride and ever since he has passed on, it has felt empty for me,” said Batchelor. “But I'm sure from what I do, I'm making him proud anywhere he is.”
He is gunning for a gold medal in the team event, for both Singapore and his father.
“It had always been his dream for me to win at a regional Games ... or at the world championships,” he added.
Batchelor's single-minded pursuit has seen him bounce back from two serious injuries - in 2020 and 2023 - that required surgeries.
Earlier this year, he also broke his collarbone while doing a flip during training. It put him out of action for around five months.
“I started wakeboarding again roughly two months ago, and I've been feeling great. All the physio and all the rehab I've been doing, I feel way stronger now and ready for the SEA Games this year,” said Batchelor.
Amid the teens and young adults in the team is 34-year-old Nurul Farhan Misran, for whom wakeboarding is both passion and livelihood.
Nurul Farhan Misran bracing himself before attempting a ramp trick at Singapore Wake Park on Sep 17, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Syamil Sapari)
He has worked at the Singapore Wake Park — where the team trains for about two to three hours, up to four times a week — as a member of its operations crew for almost a decade.
Yet when he was first introduced to the job, he had no prior experience in wakeboarding, nor swimming.
“I was scared of water,” he told CNA.
Colleagues eventually taught him how to do both and before long, he grew to love the adrenaline rush that comes with wakeboarding, where riders reach speeds of about 30kmh.
Two years later, he took part in his first competition and went on to make his SEA Games debut in 2019.
Ahead of this year's edition, Farhan, the oldest in the team, admitted to feeling “a bit of pressure” due to his age.
“I'm not that young anymore .. competing with the kids like those below their 20s, it's a bit scary because they have a tonne of tricks going on,” he said.
Like his charges, team coach Yunos Yusop, 54, fancies their chances at this year’s SEA Games.
The Singapore wakeboarding team to represent the nation at the upcoming SEA Games. (Photo: CNA/Syamil Sapari)
“I’ve been with them for so long, so I’ve seen their progression, their consistency and their performance,” said Yunos, a wakeboarding veteran of 34 years who has been coaching the team for the past four.
“They've been training hard and I can confidently say that in the SEA Games, we're going to be in the top three. But we are eyeing gold because while the teams from Thailand and Philippines are good, we can give them a good fight.”
The team format will see each rider clock scores on individual runs around the circuit. The two highest male and female riders’ scores will be compiled for the final standings.
“This is the strongest line-up Singapore has ever fielded for cable wakeboard at the SEA Games," said Singapore Waterski and Wakeboard Federation (SWWF) vice-president Marcus Lee.
"The team is a dynamic mix of seasoned athletes with international competition experience, and promising newcomers making their SEA Games debut.
“Each of them brings talent, dedication and a winning spirit; and we are confident they are well-placed to challenge for the podium.”
He noted that Singapore has competed every time wakesports has been included in the SEA Games roster, and always returned home with medals.
Already, local wakeboarding enthusiasts are looking forward to the 2029 Games, to be held on home ground in Singapore.
But first things first is the return of the sport to the 2025 lineup, said Lee, pointing to “a strong sense of excitement and anticipation within the community".
Continue reading...
The 16-year-old, who captained the national under-16 girls to a second-place finish at the Lion City Cup youth tournament in July, is now part of a six-member cable wakeboarding team competing at the biennial multi-sport SEA Games.
This year's edition sees the return of wakesports to the line-up for the regional event, after a six-year absence. Before that, wakesports was a steady source of medals for Singapore at the Games, with 20 medals amassed from the 2011, 2015, 2017 and 2019 editions.
Foong hopes to add to that collection in what will be her SEA Games debut.
She started playing football aged eight, before her uncle introduced her and her sisters to wakeboarding about two years later.
Tyan Foong landing a trick at Singapore Wake Park on Sep 17, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Syamil Sapari)
“I found out that I had a lot of interest in it, and then I started doing wakeboarding seriously," Foong told CNA earlier in September.
"I got my first board when I was in Primary Six. Slowly from there, I started getting into it and the coaches here saw that I had potential; and when they started a national team, I started training with them."
The Tanjong Katong Girls’ School student said determination was the common ingredient needed to succeed in both of her sports.
In football, learning how to control the ball under pressure may seem very basic but requires skill that takes time and effort to master, she said.
With wakeboarding, Foong had to persevere in overcoming a phobia of launching herself into the air, after sustaining a bad crash early on.
She is also sitting for her O-Level examinations this year, with her last paper ending on Nov 10, a month before the Games start in Thailand.
It has thus far been a balancing act of carefully managing her time in both commitments.
During the September school holidays, for instance, she headed to the wake park every morning to ride for an hour before returning home to continue studying. But once the exam period starts, training comes to a halt - mostly.
"Or I will go like once in a while," Foong said. “If I'm bored or I get stressed, I'll come back here again just to release some stress.”
She also shared with CNA her considerations behind choosing to represent Singapore at the SEA Games in cable wakeboarding instead of football.
"Football at the national level requires a significant amount of commitment, particularly with centralised training and the intensive schedule that comes with being part of the team," said Foong.
"Wakeboarding has offered me a bit more flexibility to manage both my training and academic responsibilities. Wakeboarding is also a more self-directed sport, where I can progress at my own pace and adjust my training around my other commitments, which has made it a good fit given my current circumstances."
But she also said football "has and will always be a passion of" hers.
"If given the opportunity in the future, I would definitely love to try out for the SEA Games in the football category."
FOR HIS FATHER
Her teammate Clarence Batchelor meanwhile will be heading to his second Games, after debuting in 2019.
Much has changed since for the 22-year-old freelancer in the events industry, including the death of his father four years ago. That has now become Batchelor's primary motivation to excel in his sport, as a tribute to his dad.
Clarence Batchelor landing a trick at Singapore Wake Park on Sep 17, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Syamil Sapari)
It was his father who first introduced him to wakeboarding nine years ago, and was also present as he competed in his first SEA Games in the Philippines.
“He used to always be here watching me ride and ever since he has passed on, it has felt empty for me,” said Batchelor. “But I'm sure from what I do, I'm making him proud anywhere he is.”
He is gunning for a gold medal in the team event, for both Singapore and his father.
“It had always been his dream for me to win at a regional Games ... or at the world championships,” he added.
Batchelor's single-minded pursuit has seen him bounce back from two serious injuries - in 2020 and 2023 - that required surgeries.
Earlier this year, he also broke his collarbone while doing a flip during training. It put him out of action for around five months.
“I started wakeboarding again roughly two months ago, and I've been feeling great. All the physio and all the rehab I've been doing, I feel way stronger now and ready for the SEA Games this year,” said Batchelor.
A FEAR OF WATER
Amid the teens and young adults in the team is 34-year-old Nurul Farhan Misran, for whom wakeboarding is both passion and livelihood.
Nurul Farhan Misran bracing himself before attempting a ramp trick at Singapore Wake Park on Sep 17, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Syamil Sapari)
He has worked at the Singapore Wake Park — where the team trains for about two to three hours, up to four times a week — as a member of its operations crew for almost a decade.
Yet when he was first introduced to the job, he had no prior experience in wakeboarding, nor swimming.
“I was scared of water,” he told CNA.
Colleagues eventually taught him how to do both and before long, he grew to love the adrenaline rush that comes with wakeboarding, where riders reach speeds of about 30kmh.
Two years later, he took part in his first competition and went on to make his SEA Games debut in 2019.
Ahead of this year's edition, Farhan, the oldest in the team, admitted to feeling “a bit of pressure” due to his age.
“I'm not that young anymore .. competing with the kids like those below their 20s, it's a bit scary because they have a tonne of tricks going on,” he said.
GOING FOR GOLD
Like his charges, team coach Yunos Yusop, 54, fancies their chances at this year’s SEA Games.
The Singapore wakeboarding team to represent the nation at the upcoming SEA Games. (Photo: CNA/Syamil Sapari)
“I’ve been with them for so long, so I’ve seen their progression, their consistency and their performance,” said Yunos, a wakeboarding veteran of 34 years who has been coaching the team for the past four.
“They've been training hard and I can confidently say that in the SEA Games, we're going to be in the top three. But we are eyeing gold because while the teams from Thailand and Philippines are good, we can give them a good fight.”
The team format will see each rider clock scores on individual runs around the circuit. The two highest male and female riders’ scores will be compiled for the final standings.
“This is the strongest line-up Singapore has ever fielded for cable wakeboard at the SEA Games," said Singapore Waterski and Wakeboard Federation (SWWF) vice-president Marcus Lee.
"The team is a dynamic mix of seasoned athletes with international competition experience, and promising newcomers making their SEA Games debut.
“Each of them brings talent, dedication and a winning spirit; and we are confident they are well-placed to challenge for the podium.”
He noted that Singapore has competed every time wakesports has been included in the SEA Games roster, and always returned home with medals.
Already, local wakeboarding enthusiasts are looking forward to the 2029 Games, to be held on home ground in Singapore.
But first things first is the return of the sport to the 2025 lineup, said Lee, pointing to “a strong sense of excitement and anticipation within the community".
Continue reading...