Feng Tianwei, Sheik Farhan win sportswoman and sportsman of the year awards for 2023

SINGAPORE: Silat exponent Sheik Farhan and table tennis player Feng Tianwei were crowned Singapore’s Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year respectively on Wednesday (Aug 23).

The duo were among the winners of the Singapore Sports Awards 2023, held at the Orchard Hotel on Wednesday evening, to celebrate and recognise the achievements of Singapore’s athletes.

Feng, Singapore’s most bemedalled Olympian, bagged three gold medals at the Commonwealth Games last year, bringing her Games' medal tally to 13 and surpassing former table tennis player Li Jiawei’s record haul of 10.

Feng is pursuing a master’s degree in sport industry management in Beijing’s Peking University and working part-time at Sport Singapore’s sport development group.

Sportsman of the Year winner, three-time pencak silat world champion Sheik Farhan, won a gold medal for Singapore at the 31st SEA Games in Hanoi last year.

Kitefoiler Maximilian Maeder, who clinched gold in the men's kite event at the Sailing World Championships last week, won the Sportsboy of the Year award in sailing, while bowler Colleen Pee won the Sportsgirl of the Year.

“This year we are celebrating sporting excellence in a diversity of sports. The finalists include athletes and teams who have performed at the SEA Games, Commonwealth Games, regional and world championships,” said Singapore Sports Awards 2023 organising committee chairman Lawrence Leow ahead of the awards ceremony.

Other winners include Singapore’s head swim coach Gary Tan who clinched the Coach of the Year award.

The Team of the Year (Event) award went to Terry Hee and Jessica Tan Wei Han - badminton mixed doubles gold medallists at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games - while the Team of the Year (Team Sport) award