Bittersweet Asian Games debut for gymnast Rachel

In the final of the women's uneven bars at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, gymnast Rachel Yeoh concluded her debut by securing a seventh-place finish. Rachel's routine, which scored 12.733, was marred by an early error that cost her a one-point deduction during the Nagoya General Gymnasium competition. The 27-year-old admitted that nerves affected her performance during the final.

She explained, "Everything went fine during the warm-up, but during the final itself, I made a mistake that was avoidable." Rachel expressed her disappointment, saying, "I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. I guess that's something I have to learn from." Despite the setback, Rachel had a strong run-up to the Games, achieving a new personal best of 14.000 during the team event earlier in the week, which helped the squad place fifth in the qualifiers.

She stated, "I feel I started the Games really well, I was able to upgrade my routine and achieve a new personal best. It was great." Rachel attributed the technical error to her own mistake, emphasizing that it was not a result of external factors. In the final, China's Qiu Qiyuan and Zhang Qingying finished first and third, respectively, while Japan's Misa Nishiyama took silver with a score of 14.433.

Rachel's teammates, 17-year-old Yeap Kang Xian and 18-year-old Marissa Zaiful, competed earlier in the day in the women's vault final. Kang Xian finished seventh with a score of 12.983, while Marissa placed eighth with a score of 12.733. South Korea's Yeo Seojeong claimed gold with a score of 14.483, and North Korea's An Chang Ok secured silver with a score of 13.666. China's Du Siyu rounded out the podium with a bronze medal.