Team Singapore celebrated a monumental achievement at the recent 2025 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Thailand, securing an impressive 202 medals, including 52 gold medals, with its largest-ever contingent of 930 athletes.
Woven into this national success story is a vibrant thread of blue and orange – with 75 current students and alumni among the nation's best, TeamNUS athletes brought home a total of 64 medals, including eight gold, 23 silver, and 33 bronze medals across various events. Their achievements were an instrumental contribution to Team Singapore’s final haul, a strong showing that the pursuit of academic excellence and elite sporting achievement can not only coexist, but flourish
A debut to remember
Amongst TeamNUS’ representatives were many debutants at the SEA Games. Their composure and grace under pressure as they took on an expanded regional stage amid experienced competitors made their eventual sporting success at the Games much more impressive.
Behind their drive and determination to excel lies a supportive ecosystem at NUS for student athletes, which includes scholarships, flexible learning arrangements, and a culture that emphasises and empowers student athletes to balance and excel at every facet of their lives.
Historic leap ends a 42-year wait
A 42-year medal drought came to an end for the Singapore Men’s Long Jump on 16 December 2025 when SEA Games debutant Andrew George Medina (Year 3, NUS College of Design and Engineering) soared into the history books with a stunning 7.53m jump, clinching a bronze medal in the event.
Although shy of his initial aim for the national record of 7.62m, this nonetheless was a landmark achievement for the nation, which has not seen a long jumper on the SEA Games podium since 1983.
Reflecting on the mindset and moments that shaped his debut, Andrew said: "On event day, my goal was to chase the national record. I wasn’t thinking about the podium at all. Ultimately, it came down to the last jump, and while I did not achieve my goal for the day, I was satisfied because it was my [SEA Games] debut as well as Singapore’s first long jump medal in a long time, and I was able to celebrate it with all the people who had supported me through years of sacrifice. I hope that my performance will inspire others to break boundaries, even the longstanding ones which seem insurmountable."
Teamwork and triumph in a unique arena
Stars from TeamNUS also shone bright at Team Singapore’s maiden foray into Kabaddi at the SEA Games, where a debutant trio of NUS students, Parthiv Murugesh, Raja Sri Raam (both in Year 1, Computing) and Anbu Navin N Annadurai (Year 2, Law) propelled the Men’s Standard Style team to a hard-earned bronze medal in this dynamic and physically-demanding contact sport.
For the three debutants, their success was the culmination of intense training and seamless teamwork in a sport that combines elements of tag, wrestling, and breathing control techniques. It was also a highlight for the trio to be part of Singapore’s first representative team in Kabaddi at the SEA Games.
The trio described their first SEA Games as a shared journey they will always remember. Balancing university commitments with intense national training proved demanding, and facing seasoned international opponents tested them physically and mentally. While there were inevitable moments of doubt, fatigue and pressure, they took immense pride in representing Singapore. Most of all, they valued how the campaign strengthened them as athletes and teammates, building trust, resilience and self‑belief that will carry into future competitions.
Grace, power, and silver linings
In the aquatic arena, the artistic swimming duo of Claire Tan Wen Yen (Year 2, Law) and Rhea Thean (Year 1, Business) delivered a performance with exceptional grace and precision. As key members of the team event, they helped secure a silver medal for Singapore. For both athletes, who were making their SEA Games debut, the achievement was a testament to countless hours of synchronised practice and dedication.
Claire’s journey is particularly noteworthy as an NUS Sports Scholar competing in artistic swimming, a discipline outside NUS’ varsity offerings. Her scholarship underscores the University’s commitment to supporting high‑performance athletes across diverse sports and to fostering holistic development.
Claire and Rhea revealed the challenges the duo faced and the pride of their achievement: “Nothing worth having ever comes easy. With our common identity as NUS students, we often shared our struggles juggling academics and sport, especially during this period, since our final exams were two weeks before our first SEA Games. The months of preparation were filled with more downs than ups, and the competition tested us with unseen complications and injuries that pushed us to the limit every day. Given all that we’ve been through, we couldn’t be prouder to have earned our silver medal for Singapore.”
The incredible achievements of Team Singapore and TeamNUS at the 2025 SEA Games are a powerful reminder of the value of dedication, endurance, and grit that our athletes embody at the highest levels of competition and in their everyday lives. Congratulations to all athletes on their inspiring performances and for representing both the nation and the University with unwavering pride and distinction!
As this SEA Games chapter closes, the attention turns to the next milestone on the sporting calendar. The ASEAN Para Games will be held from 20 to 26 January 2026, with more TeamNUS student‑athletes represent Singapore. Let’s show our support to Xavier Lim Jie Rui (Badminton), Toh Wei Soong (Swimming) and Heng Zhu Ning Shannon (Shooting) as they strive for personal bests!
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