Meet the 16-year-old gymnast who made sporting history for Singapore while taking her O-Levels
Amanda Yap is the first Singaporean gymnast to make a world championships final.
Artistic gymnast Amanda Yap on Nov 12, 2025. (Photo: 鶹/Ili Mansor)
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SINGAPORE: For most 16-year-olds, sitting for one of the biggest examinations of their lives would be stressful enough.
But Amanda Yap was juggling two life-defining moments at once: her O-Levels and the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships. Rather than feeling overwhelmed, she found balance in the chaos itself.
"Having two things at once – my major exams and the competition – was quite beneficial because I didn't have to focus on one thing," she told 鶹. "I wouldn't stress so much on one thing because I had other things to think about as well."
Her strategy worked. In Jakarta last month, Amanda made history as the first Singaporean gymnast to qualify for a world championships final, eventually placing sixth in the balance beam event.
A SISTER ACT
Her journey into gymnastics began the way many childhood pursuits do – following in the footsteps of an older sibling. As a toddler, she watched her sister Emma train and was fascinated by the gymnastic routines they watched on television.
“I always saw my sister do it and I found it really interesting. I wanted to try it myself too,” she said.
What started as casual fun gradually transformed into something more serious. By primary school, Amanda was competing for her school team. In Primary 6, she joined the National Training Centre, crossing the threshold from enthusiast to elite athlete.
"Throughout the years, I slowly gained more experience. And I realised that it was quite fun, and this was something I wanted to do."
Today, both Yap sisters represent Singapore at the national level, sharing not just a sport but a unique understanding of its demands.
"Having a sister who has similar experiences as me is ... something that's really helped me," Amanda said. "I can always talk to her, ask her for advice."
THE GRIND
The Methodist Girls' School student trains six times a week – four hours each session – with Saturday as her only rest day. Evenings are spent doing homework and revision. It's a schedule that would exhaust most adults.
"I find artistic gymnastics fun because it really challenges you to do your best, and you really have to have a lot of resilience to push on, especially when things get tough," Amanda said.
Her father, Clarence Yap, emphasised that their role as parents wasn't to push but to provide space.
"All we really did was allow her to have the space to pursue what she wants to do," he said. "There isn't anything exceptional in what we did beyond allowing that to happen and just being supportive."
He does tell them this: "There are hundreds and thousands of kids in Singapore who get four As, but how many kids get to say they represent Singapore?"
But when Amanda's O-level examination dates clashed with the world championships, she seriously considered skipping the competition. The event's open format, however, presented an opportunity.
"We thought that maybe this would let us gain more experience, so we should do it,” Amanda said.
Having secured a spot at Singapore Sports School under the Early Admission Exercise – albeit with certain criteria still to meet – took some of the pressure off.
“We really just wanted to do our best and take in the experience, rather than aim for getting into finals or getting a medal," Amanda said. "We knew that probably wouldn't be possible.”
The logistics were punishing. After completing one exam in Singapore, she flew to Jakarta for the competition.
Amanda and a teammate – also sitting for O-Levels – crammed study sessions into every available moment: on flights, during the three training days before competition, and in a hotel cafe where the young athletes gathered with their textbooks.
“EVERYBODY WAS SCREAMING”
On Oct 20, Amanda competed in the balance beam qualification. The next afternoon, she flew home for her mathematics paper on Oct 22.
"I was quite satisfied with my performance, but I definitely didn't think it would have been good enough to get into a final," she said.
While she had written off her chances, things were unfolding in her favour. Several fancied gymnasts faltered and she remained in contention for the top eight.
The night before her maths exam, the Yap family gathered at home to watch the final results. Amanda lay in bed scrolling through her phone, deliberately avoiding expectations.
Then it appeared: a "Q" beside her name – Qualified.
“Everyone was screaming and my parents were crying,” she recalled. “I didn't really have any reaction because I don't think it really hit me at that moment. And also because there were a lot of things in my mind and I had to think of my exams.”
The next day, Amanda sat for her maths exam, adrenaline still pumping through her system.
"Thankfully I had the morning to cool down because my paper was an afternoon paper.," she said. "I just tried to switch my mindset, focus on my paper, focus on doing what's next. Then after that, I could think about my final."
STANDING AMONG GIANTS
After another exam, Amanda flew back to Jakarta for the final on Oct 25. She'd initially planned to study on the flight – she still had a couple of papers left – but exhaustion won out.
In the final, she competed alongside global stars like Algeria's Kaylia Nemour and Canada's Ellie Black, a seasoned Olympian who offered words of encouragement.
"She's been competing on the world stage for many years, and she gave me lots of words of advice," Amanda said. "I was really thankful for that."
Amanda's sixth-place finish with a personal best score of 13.333 points may have fallen short of her qualification day performance, but the magnitude of the achievement was not lost on her.
"I was a little bit upset that I didn't do as well as I did on the first day," she admitted. "But I felt really happy because even just being in the final is already such a big honour and such a big achievement."
This is especially as this was Amanda's first year competing as a senior, having won silver on balance beam at the 2024 Junior Asian Championships.
“If you told me I’d be in this position today, I would probably just laugh and brush it aside. I don't think I would have ever expected this to happen," she said.
Amanda has no plans to rest on her historic achievement. Her immediate target is a medal at December's SEA Games, followed by the balance beam finals at next year's Commonwealth and Asian Games.
Her ultimate goal? The Olympics.
For young athletes attempting to walk the same tightrope between academic and sporting excellence, she offers advice born from experience.
"Many people find it very hard to balance school and training, and I definitely agree because for me it was very difficult, especially because I'm not very academically strong," Amanda said.
"I would just say do your best, trust the process. Some things may not work out, but just try and do what you can."
