A bee sting during pre-competition training that led to a crash with another cyclist, and a broken safety mount, did little to derail Sebastian Tan’s charge to Singapore’s first gold at the 2025 ASEAN Para Games on Wednesday (Jan 21) afternoon.
The 25-year-old paracyclist registered 31:40.485 in the mixed individual time trial T1-T2, crossing the tape at the end of the 15.6km route ahead of Thailand’s Kittiyaporn Namakhan (32:59.954) and Nopparkorn Leso (33:31.516) at the Suranaree University of Technology course.
“A few days ago, during training, a bee stung him, causing him to stop suddenly and collide with another cyclist,” said team manager Eugene Quan. “He fell but escaped serious injury. The bike was damaged, but the team came together to look for new parts.”
The team quickly scoured nearby hardware shops with the help of the local organising committee to put together a new safety bar for Tan, ensuring he would still compete and eventually take gold.
Thailand has also proven to be a happy hunting ground for Tan. He previously won bronze in the men’s individual time trial T1, along with silver in the individual road race T1, at the 2023 World Abilitysport Games in Nakhon Ratchasima, and finished fourth at last February’s Asian Para Road Cycling Championships in Phitsanulok.
Along the way, Tan has benefitted from “more consistent and structured training, together with sport science help”, culminating in his golden feat at his debut Games.
But sustaining the crash a few days before race day threatened to throw a spanner in the works.
Quan added that it was important for the team to help Tan put the crash behind him and “refocus on his preparations for the race”.
Describing his performance in the final as a “best effort”, Quan also highlighted his charge’s potential to do well as he aims for the Asian Games later this year.
“He is very committed, and he loves cycling. Together with the support from everyone, I hope he can qualify for the Asian Games in Nagoya and take on a new challenge.
Teammate Tan Cheng Jui, together with pilot Sarah Tan, came just shy of a podium spot after a fourth-placed finish (36:12.197) in the women’s individual time trial Tandem B final, just behind Thailand’s Boonmalert Watcharobon (35:57.202).
Amanda Mok finished fourth in the women’s individual time trial H1-H5, clocking 52:46.519, while Muhammad Nur Amsyar Abdemanaf also came fourth in the men’s individual time trial H4-H5 with a time of 56:16.078.
