GAMAGORI, Japan — Singapore’s sailing team, comprising predominantly first-time Asian Games competitors, concluded the 2026 Asian Games with four medals, including three silvers and one bronze, but no golds for the first time since 2002.

Sixteen-year-old Ian Goh secured a silver medal in the boys’ ILCA 4 event on October 3, narrowly missing out on gold despite leading for much of the competition. Heading into the final day with a one-point lead over Hong Kong’s Tiago Salgado and a four-point advantage over Japan’s Ikuto Mori, Goh faltered in the concluding races. After 12 fleet races, he and South Korea’s Choi Ji-un were tied with 25 net points each. The tiebreaker, which considers the number of first-place finishes, favored Choi, who took gold with three race wins compared to Goh’s two. Salgado finished with bronze.

Goh, a Games debutant, expressed disappointment in his performance, citing mistakes uncommon in his previous races and the weight of expectations following years of training. He acknowledged his aim to improve upon his older brother Isaac’s historic silver medal in the same discipline at the 2023 Asian Games, Singapore’s first in that event.

The team’s medal haul also included a bronze in windsurfing’s boys’ iQFoil event, achieved by 17-year-old debutant John Wong. This marked Singapore’s first windsurfing medal at the Asian Games and the inaugural inclusion of the Under-19 windsurfing category. Wong finished third out of six competitors with 25 points from 11 races. The final day was shortened due to insufficient wind, limiting opportunities for position changes. Wong noted that additional races might have allowed him to improve on his standing but remained content with his podium finish despite taking up the sport only in 2022.

Singapore’s other silvers came from Sean Kum and Nigel Tan in the boys’ 29er class and Jania Ang in the ILCA 6 event. The sailing contingent’s overall performance placed Singapore sixth in the sailing medal table, a notable drop from the previous Games in Hangzhou in 2023, where the team earned two gold medals and seven medals in total.

Maximilian Maeder, the reigning kiterfoiling champion, was unable to defend his title as the discipline was excluded from the 2026 program. Meanwhile, reigning ILCA 7 gold medalist Ryan Lo finished fifth in his category.

Stanley Chan, president of the Singapore Sailing Federation, credited the team’s largely novice roster with a commendable performance. He emphasized the importance of assessing youth development programs that have produced medalists, expressing optimism that these achievements would inspire future generations to pursue sailing and elevate Singapore’s presence in the sport across multiple classes.