Julia Yeo, 14, wins first SEA games gold after last minute call-up to relays

14-year-old Julia Yeo was cheering for teammates in the stands when chaos erupted and coaches scrambled to activate her for the women's 4x100m relay, just around 30 minutes to the start of the race.

Singapore's plans were thrown into disarray when Levenia Sim, 19, slated to swim the opening backstroke leg, injured her shoulder during warm-up, reported The Straits Times.

With time ticking and no margin for error, the coaches made a snap decision that proved to be record breaking.

A SEA Games record was made in the women’s 4X100m medley relay as Julia Yeo, Letitia Sim, Quah Ting Wen and Quah Jing Wen clocked 4:05.79.

'My heart literally dropped'

Yeo who turns 15 on Dec. 27, was on standby and swam with gear that was not hers, stated The Straits Times. 

“My coach asked if I had my stuff, and I didn’t bring anything."

She recounted the scene and its adrenaline-inducing panic.

"My heart literally dropped and I was so shocked and bogged down with panic. I don’t know how I pulled it off. I just swam the best I could."

Yeo managed to clock a personal best of 1:04.79 despite the hiccups, thanking her seniors and teammates who encouraged her to swim her best, stated The Straits Times.

“This was really special because this is my first medley relay with my seniors and my first SEA Games gold. I didn’t even warm up at all, it was a surprise."

Besides contributing to the 4x100m medley meet record, Yeo also broke a long-time national women’s 200m backstroke record, finishing 4th with a time of 2:16.51. 

Her backstroke breaks the long-time National Record set by Tao Li in 2009, stated Active SG Circle.

"Leading up to the SEA Games, I’ve been training nine sessions a week so it’s very tiring. Now that I’ve finally finished, I just feel so relieved."

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Top photo from Team Singapore and Andy Chua/SportSG