Paris 2024: Injured Aisyah displays Olympic spirit in spirited row

By Patrick Johnston

After eight years, trailblazing rower Saiyidah Aisyah Mohamed Rafa'ee completed a valiant return to the Olympics on Saturday as she battled injury to finish fifth in the women’s single sculls opening heat.

Aisyah, who became the first Singaporean rower to compete at an Olympics in Rio 2016, clocked a time of 8 mins 17.04 seconds in the five-person heat at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium to advance to the Repechage on Sunday. 

Saiyidah Aisyah prepares to race ahead of the opening heats of the women's single sculls at the 2024 Paris Olympics.  Photo: Sport Singapore/Andy Chua

The 2013 SEA Games gold medallist was disappointed she could not give her best, with a rib injury hampering her efforts.

“It was not my best performance, I don’t want to use it as an excuse, my goal for Paris is to finish every race knowing I have done my best and I felt I could have given it a little bit more today,” she said.

“I expect a lot from myself. I need to learn to be kind to myself and give myself a little bit of grace. I’m racing with women who have been training for the past four years and I need to remind myself I just started training 10 months ago.”

Saiyidah Aisyah looks over to her coaches ahead of the opening heats of the women's single sculls at the 2024 Paris Olympics.  Photo: Sport Singapore/Andy Chua

While some of her rivals spent three years training solidly for Paris 2024, Aisyah, now a rowing trainer and mental performance coach, started training for an Olympic return only 10 months ago after a change of heart.

She quit her job to train full time, used her savings and some crowdfunding support and received support from Singapore Sport Institute for her training and competition leading up to the Olympics. 

In April, she managed to grab the final Paris Olympic spot by winning the B final at the Asia and Oceania Olympic qualifying regatta in South Korea.

Saiyidah Aisyah breathes out after completing the 2000m course in the opening heats of the women's single sculls at the 2024 Paris Olympics.  Photo: Sport Singapore/Andy Chua

“I’ve been performing really well for the last few months and then the injury kicked in, that took a turn in my training,” she said. 

“I can choose to have a pity party or change my mindset. I still have a chance to enjoy myself out here. That is the goal, I have never gone to a major race with an injury before so it’s a lot of managing my emotions which is different, unexpected but it is a story to tell.”

Aisyah, 36, said she had not made any decisions about future plans. 

“Definitely a case of wait and see, I do want to perform really well. I don't know. Four years down the road I might try again!

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.