Team Singapore at the Paris Olympics: Five athletes to look out for

SINGAPORE: Three years after the last Olympic Games, the world's biggest sporting meet is set to return with France as the stage, spectators back in the stands and the pandemic a distant memory.

From Jul 26 to Aug 11, most athletes will converge on the capital of Paris, with a number of competitions also held in cities such as Marseille.

The last time Singapore took home an Olympics medal was eight years ago, when swimmer Joseph Schooling stunned the world to win gold in the 100m butterfly.

Here are five Singaporean athletes to look out for at the 2024 edition.

Arguably Singapore's best bet for a medal at the Paris Games, 17-year-old kitefoiler Maeder has been on a scintillating run of form for the last year.

Top of global rankings, the Asian Games gold medalist has won five events in a row, the latest being a successful defence in May of his world championships title.

Maeder was born in Singapore to a Swiss father and a Singaporean mother, and started in the sport at age six.

While expectations are building, he has said that the biggest pressure comes from within.

"It is mainly ... me upon myself giving pressure to say let's do it again, execute again and prepare properly again," he said.

The 21-year-old has been making waves since her major debut for Singapore at the 2021 SEA Games.

She holds national records in the 50m, 100m and 200m breaststroke; as well as the 200m individual medley.

At Hangzhou Asian Games last year, Sim registered two fourth-place finishes in the 100m and 200m breaststroke. She went on to meet the Olympics “A” cut for 100m breaststroke in November.

No female Singaporean swimmer has made an Olympic semi-final since Tao Li (100m butterfly) in 2012.

In Paris, Sim will also compete in the women’s 4x100m medley