Tiffany Teo Eyes Gold Medal at Asian Games Final

NAGOYA – One more win. That is all that now stands between Tiffany Teo and an Asian Games gold medal.

On a cool Sept 21 afternoon at the Nagoya City Inae Sports Center, the 36-year-old Singaporean forced her way past India’s Suchika Tariyal in the women’s traditional 60kg semi-final, sealing her spot in the final on her Asiad debut.

It was tense. It was tight. It went to overtime.
Teo found a way.

Her victory sends her into the Sept 22 final against Khilola Sobirova of Uzbekistan, who had earlier beaten Cambodia’s Cheng Dalin in the other semi-final to book her own place in the title bout.

Teo had already made history before stepping into the arena on Saturday. On Sept 20, she outpointed Iran’s Arezou Salimighalehtaki by unanimous decision in the quarter-finals, securing Singapore’s first-ever Asian Games medal in the sport. With both beaten semi-finalists guaranteed joint bronze, her place on the podium was assured even before the clash with Tariyal.

That was not what she came for.

“I’m glad that I did enough to get the win because the gold medal has always been the end goal. So I came into this match determined to get the win,” she said after grinding through overtime in the semi-final, her voice matching the steel she had just shown on the mat.

The target has not shifted an inch.

“I focus on things within my control, and I believe that by putting forth my best effort, my best skill set, it will lead me to the goal of the gold medal,” she added, turning quickly from celebration to preparation for Sobirova and the biggest bout of her career.

Teo’s win in Aichi-Nagoya ignited Singapore’s second day of Asian Games action, setting the tone for a busy schedule across Japan. At the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, the swimmers were back in the water just a day after Gan Ching Hwee’s landmark silver in the women’s 1,500m freestyle, a performance that had already lifted the mood in the camp.

Singapore’s 304-strong contingent continues to chip away at the medal table. Alongside Teo’s guaranteed podium finish, wushu specialist Zeanne Law has delivered a bronze in the women’s taijiquan-taijijian. Elsewhere on Sept 21, Singaporean athletes are spread across 3x3 basketball, artistic gymnastics, shooting, table tennis, triathlon and more wushu, all chasing their own moments.

For Teo, though, there is only one moment that matters now.
One fight left. One shot at gold.