Asian Athletics Championships
2025 Gumi
Singapore's Next Big Test: 11 Storylines to Follow at the Asian Champs
Written by Amir Rusyaidi Osman
27-31 May 2025
Published 23 May 2025
The squad for the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships — set to take place from 27 to 31 May in South Korea — was recently unveiled on Singapore Athletics’ Instagram. With a blend of proven medal-winners and rising talent, this year’s team looks poised to make a statement on the continental stage.
From sprint queen Shanti Pereira’s title defense to emerging relay lineups and record-chasing hurdlers, here are some of the top storylines to watch as Singapore’s finest take on Asia’s best.
1. Shanti's Shot at a Double-Double
Singapore’s sprint queen Veronica Shanti Pereira returns to the continental stage in red-hot form, having clocked season’s bests in both Singapore and Japan. In 2023, she made history — sweeping the 100m and 200m at both the SEA Games in Cambodia and the Asian Athletics Championships in Thailand, becoming Singapore’s first-ever gold medallist at the latter.
Now, she’s back to defend her crowns. No Singaporean has ever done that before. Could Shanti become the nation’s first-ever defending champion — and go one better by pulling off the rare double-double on Asian soil?
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2. Third Time Lucky for Ang Chen Xiang?
Ang Chen Xiang has already conquered Southeast Asia — a SEA Games champion and the national record holder in the 110m hurdles. In 2025 alone, he’s raised the bar twice: first with a 13.81 in Hong Kong, then shaving it down to 13.80 on home soil in April.
But at the Asian Championships, the final has remained elusive. In both 2019 and 2023, he came up just short. This time, he returns with momentum and maturity — and a sub-13.90 performance could be his ticket to the top eight.
He’s never been closer. Could this be the year Chen Xiang finally breaks through on Asia’s biggest stage?
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3. A Women's Relay Team on the Rise
The last time we saw Singapore’s women’s 4x100m team in action — at the 2025 Singapore Open — they lit up the track. The quartet of Kerstin Ong, Elizabeth-Ann Tan, Veronica Shanti Pereira, and Laavinia Jaiganth matched the long-standing national record of 44.96, originally set in 2017.
That 2017 team featured Wendy Enn, Dipna Lim-Prasad, Shanti Pereira, and Nur Izlyn Zaini, with personal bests of 11.98, 12.16, 11.73, and 12.21 respectively. The current quartet? Even quicker: Shanti (11.20), Elizabeth (11.72), Laavinia (12.15), and Kerstin (12.45). They also have depth — Sarah Poh (12.47) and NSG B Division sprint double champion Shannon Tan (12.27) round out the relay pool.
Baton chemistry is key, but raw speed is undeniable. With the pieces in place, could the women finally break through the 44.96 barrier in South Korea?
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4. Men’s 4x100m Relay: A New Era?
At the 2023 Asian Championships, Singapore’s men’s 4x100m team came heartbreakingly close to rewriting history. The quartet of Calvin Quek, Joshua Chua, Mark Lee, and Marc Brian Louis clocked 39.32 — just 0.08s shy of the 2015 national record (39.24), held by legends Calvin Kang, Gary Yeo, Lee Cheng Wei, and Amirudin Jamal.
This year, a new generation is stepping up. Marc returns as the anchor, joined by Tate Tan (10.50), Daryl Tan (10.53), and Xander Ho (10.68). Their personal bests suggest this could be Singapore’s fastest-ever lineup. For context, the 2023 team had bests of 10.39 (Marc), 10.59 (Joshua and Mark), and 10.69 (Calvin), while the 2015 record holders ran with times ranging from 10.44 to 10.77.
Of course, relay success isn’t just about speed — clean handoffs and team rhythm are critical. Their 39.68 from the Singapore Open in April shows there’s still work to do. But with time and chemistry, a new national record could be on the horizon.
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5. Passing the Baton: A Changing of the Guard for the 4x400
For the first time in years, Singapore’s men’s 4x400m relay team is getting a fresh injection of youth — and pace. Seventeen-year-old Harry Irfan Curran (48.98) and 19-year-old Hari Subaraghav (48.81) are set to make their senior team debuts, stepping into a squad that has long been anchored by veterans.
Replacing a mainstay like Ng Chin Hui (47.92) is no small task, but the newcomers will be backed by an experienced quartet who’ve carried the baton through the post-COVID era: Thiruben Thana Rajan (47.26), Zubin Muncherji (47.02), Reuben Rainer Lee (47.37), and Calvin Quek (47.40). Together with now-retired Tan Zong Yang (47.03), they’ve been Singapore’s go-to core in the 4x400 for years.
With the average age of the established four now hitting 27, the arrival of fresh legs feels timely. The future of the relay begins here — and it might be faster than you think.
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6. Thiruben’s Middle-Distance Masterclass
Since graduating from NJC in 2018, Thiruben Thana Rajan has made his mark in the 400m. But in 2025, he’s returned to where it all began — the 800m — and he’s wasted no time making a statement.
Once the National Schools record holder, Thiruben has re-emerged as Singapore’s top middle-distance runner and one of the finest the nation has ever produced. In April, he clocked a personal best of 1:51.28 at the Singapore Open, and shortly after, travelled to Japan for a high-performance training stint with Waseda University — sparring with sub-1:50 athlete Yuto Mizushima.
Now ranked third all-time among Singapore’s 800m men, Thiruben has one target in sight: a sub-1:50 performance. With confidence, conditioning, and world-class training behind him, South Korea might just be where it all comes together.
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7. Marc Brian Louis: Redemption Run?
By most standards, Marc Brian Louis had a stellar 2024 — clocking 10.36, the second-fastest time of his career, and earning a spot at the Olympic Games. But his withdrawal from the Olympic heats due to a hamstring issue drew criticism — and left him with something to prove.
In 2025, he’s returned with fire. Indoors, Marc shattered his national 60m record in Kazakhstan, then matched that mark at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing. Outdoors, he opened his season by defending his national title in Singapore, and followed it up with a solid 10.45 in the Philippines.
At the last edition of the Asian Championships, he missed the final by the narrowest of margins — finishing 10th in the semifinals, just 0.01 seconds shy. This year, he’s not just looking for redemption. He’s gunning for a place in the final — and another shot at Asia’s best.
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8. Vaulting for Records
From December 2023 to June 2024, Low Jun Yu’s rise was steady: 5.06m, 5.07m, 5.10m — and then another 5.10m. But at the 2024 ASEAN University Games, he turned steady progress into a seismic leap. Clearing 5.15m, 5.25m, and finally 5.34m, Jun Yu didn’t just shatter his own national record — he became the AUG champion and vaulted into history as the fifth-best Southeast Asian pole vaulter of all time.
While this marks his debut at the Asian Athletics Championships, Jun Yu is no stranger to big stages. He competed at the 2023 SEA Games and at the 2023 Asian Indoor Championships. Over the past few months, he’s been training in Europe, honing his technique and gaining strength in some of the world’s top vaulting environments.
Historically, it’s taken 5.50m+ to medal at the Asian Championships — a tough ask. But Jun Yu is a proven championship performer, and with his momentum, it would be unwise to count him out. Another record? A surprise final push? Stranger things have happened.
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9. Shaun Goh's Hunt
Shaun Goh enters the 2025 Asian Championships as Singapore’s undisputed king of the 10K. In September 2024, he clocked a stunning 31:00 on the roads of Melbourne — a national road record and the fastest 10km ever by a Singaporean across any surface. It’s also 10 seconds faster than the track record held by Soh Rui Yong.
Singapore hasn’t fielded many distance men at this level — with only Nabin Parajuli (5000m & steeplechase) flying the flag in the past decade in 2019. Shaun’s selection is both rare and richly deserved. While the IT analyst may not yet be in medal contention, lining up against Asia’s finest will be invaluable experience as he builds toward a SEA Games podium push.
A national track record could be in play — but more than that, Shaun has a chance to break a psychological barrier no Singaporean has ever cracked: the elusive sub-31 on the track.
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10. The Rising Sprint Star
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Since claiming the national U20 record in the 400m with a 54.66 at the 2024 World U20 Championships, Laavinia Jaiganth has rapidly evolved into one of Singapore’s most versatile sprint talents. In the months that followed, she shifted her focus to the shorter sprints — and the results speak volumes.
She clocked 12.15 in the 100m at the SA Inter Club Championships and followed it up with a blistering 24.59 in the 200m at the Singapore Open. Those marks place her 11th and 7th respectively on Singapore’s all-time lists — complementing her current rank of 3rd in the 400m.
At the Asian Championships, she returns to her signature event for her 2025 season debut. With newfound speed over the shorter distances, could her improved top-end pace power her toward something even bigger? The national record of 53.67, set by none other than Shanti Pereira, may just be within reach.
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11. Eyes on the Final
This marks Calvin Quek’s second appearance at the Asian Championships. In his debut in 2023, he advanced through the heats with a 51.96, but missed out on the final. That year, however, was a breakout season: he set a national record of 50.43 at the World University Games, ran 50.53 at the World Championships, and bagged his second SEA Games bronze with a 50.75.
In 2025, he’s continued to show early-season sharpness, running 50.77 and 50.96 — both under the 51-second barrier. With a PB of 50.43 and growing consistency, Calvin heads to Gumi with the confidence and fitness to push the limits.
Final qualification will likely require a 50-flat or better — a high bar, but not beyond reach. If the pieces fall into place, Calvin Quek might just turn promise into performance when it counts most.
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* results obtained via Singapore Athletics archives and the respective World Athletics pages