Skater Cheyenne Goh becomes first Singapore athlete to qualify for Winter Olympics

Short track speed skater Cheyenne Goh became the first Singaporean to qualify for the Winter Olympics.

The 18-year-old secured a spot at Pyeongchang after coming 20th in the Ladies 1500m race at the Audi ISU World Cup Short Track Speed Skating events in Shanghai.

Well done, Cheyenne!

Goh, ranked 36th in the world, isn’t just the first to qualify from Singapore, she is also the first ever short track speed skater from Southeast Asia to reach the Games.

“24 November 2017 is a significant day for SISA and Short Track Speed Skater, Cheyenne Goh. Singapore has received a quota and will be represented at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea! Congratulations and well done, Cheyenne!,” wrote SISA on Facebook. 

‘It’s been quite unreal,’ Goh

Interviewed by TheStraitsTimes, the skater said that she is still amazed.

'It feels so crazy. I know it's true, but there's still a part of me that doesn't really believe it,” said Goh.

'It's been quite unreal, but still slowly sinking in... I'm definitely very excited but also a bit nervous because it's the biggest sporting event in the world.'

SISA’s president, Sonja Chong, also spoke about Cheyenne’s achievement.

'We are very excited that Singapore has qualified for the Winter Olympics for the first time ever,” said Chong.

'This is a huge milestone for winter sports in Singapore.'

The 2018 Winter Olympics will be held in Pyeongchang from February 9 to February 25 next year. Cheyenne will be competing on February 17 in the women's 1,500-meter short track speed skating race.