Paris 2024: Stephenie paddles her way to an Olympic first

By Patrick Johnston

Stephenie Chen became the first Singaporean kayaker to make an Olympic final with a standout display in the women's K1 500 metres on Saturday.

The 32-year-old five-time SEA Games gold medallist, who won silver at last year’s Asian Games, produced a lung-busting effort in the semi-finals to grab the sixth and last spot in one of the three kayak finals at Vaires-sur-Marne.

She returned to the water just two hours later, producing a time of 1 minute 56.55 seconds to finish seventh and 24th overall.

“I just knew I needed to execute what I've always been training, and, yeah, it came true,” said Chen. “I'm really happy with the campaign.”

The results were particularly significant for Stephenie, who missed out on qualifying for two kayak events at the Tokyo 2020 Games by less than a second.

In Paris, she was cheered on by her parents and sisters, Andrea, Abigail, and Sarah, who have all represented Singapore in kayaking, as well as former rugby player sister Anna.

Stephenie Chen paddles her way through the semi-finals of the women's K1 500 at the Paris Olympics.  Photo: Sport Singapore/Andy Chua

Although an experienced campaigner, the Olympics are a level above in all aspects.

“There’s so many people, the crowd is insane and I just ended up getting derailed from what I was supposed to do,” Stephenie said of her opening performance in the heats.

“My coach did warn me about the crowd, and I said: ‘Hungary has insane crowds too during World Championships, I’ll deal with it.’ And then when I started, I was like, ‘Okay, this is a lot, yeah,’ so it definitely played into it at the start of the race.”

After the heats, and more settled, she produced her best time of the meet in the quarter-finals, clocking a time of 1:53.88 to grab the fourth and final qualifying spot for the semi-finals.

She pushed through the semi-final and was initially challenging the leaders in the final before slipping back slightly. However, Stephenie enjoyed the challenge of competing with the sport’s elite.

“I think whenever it comes to racing at major games or major competitions, it’s very important to remember that you actually do like racing,” she said.

“You don’t know when you’re going to get this next opportunity again. So you’re here to compete, but you’re also here to enjoy it. And why make it seem like a tough thing when you can be enjoying it instead?”

Stephenie Chen looks up at the scoreboard after paddling her way through the C Final of the women's K1 500m  at the Paris Olympics.  Photo: Sport Singapore/Andy Chua

With her SEA Games golds and Asian Games medal from Hangzhou, China, last year, Chen has been a leading light for Singaporean kayaking, along with her siblings. But making such a breakthrough and the Games elevates her even higher.

“It’s nice to know that we can be competitive. Sometimes, I think throughout my journey, I did find myself doubting whether I belonged in the top few. And I guess now I’ve proven it,” she added.

“I do hope that the younger ones will surpass my results. They do have a lot of other distractions. I hope that I stand as an example, that they do know that you can reach the highest level of sport, you just have to put in the work. And you can’t shy away from it.”

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games takes place in Paris, France from 26 July to 11 August 2024. For the latest Team Singapore coverage and news, follow Team Singapore on their social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) or visit the official Team Singapore website.