Singapore kayaker Stephenie Chen finished 7th in the women’s K1 500m Final competition at the Olympics on Saturday (10 Aug).
Though she will not finish with a medal, Chen is the first kayaker from Singapore to compete in the final.
Her appearance also marks a 12-year drought in kayaking for Singapore since 2012.
During Final C, Chen had a timing of 1m 56.55s, finishing 7th in the race and 23rd overall out of 40, according to Channel NewsAsia (CNA).
The 32-year-old’s Olympic debut in the final was secured after she finished sixth in the semi-final earlier on Saturday.
She had a timing of 1m 55.15s in the semi-final.
Source: SportSG via The Straits Times
In the qualifiers, Chen finished fifth in her heat with a time of 1m 58.52s, but significantly improved in the quarter-finals on 7 Aug, clocking 1m 53.88 and finishing fifth to advance to the semi-finals.
She has enjoyed good results regionally, having obtained a silver at the 2022 Asian Games and gold at the SEA Games on five occasions.
Chen qualified for the Paris Olympics by finishing third in the women’s K1 500m final at the 2024 ACC Canoe Sprint & Paracanoe Asian Championships, securing a first appearance in the sport for Singapore after 12 years.
Previously, Geraldine Lee finished 22nd out of 25 in the semi-finals in London in 2012.
To mark Chen’s debut, her family — her parents and three of her four sisters — turned up in Paris to support her, according to The Straits Times (ST).
“If not for her dedication, hard work, discipline and perseverance, I wouldn’t be in Paris watching her perform on the biggest sporting stage,” her father, Michael, told ST.
“As parents, we want the best for our children in the way of their choice. Of course, we are very excited and we’re here to signal our very best support.”
Chen and three of her sisters are kayakers, while another sister, Anna, used to be a rugby player. She also has a brother, Spencer.
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Featured image adapted from Singapore National Olympic Council on Facebook.
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