Zhe Sim's Silver Lining Turns to Gold

Teen among 4 S'pore winners in Jr championships in Bangkok; hopes to return for SEA Games

- Kimberly Kwek

On court and still under probation, Singapore's top squash junior Ong Zhe Sim put a tough start to 2025 behind her on May 13, when she retained her girls' Under-17 title at the South-east Asian Junior Individual Championships.

Just six months ago, the 16-year-old's future in the national set-up was in limbo following a dispute with the Singapore Squash Rackets Association (SSRA).

She was initially dropped from the national set-up in December 2024 for breaching the athletes' agreement by turning down "national representation when called upon," said the association.

After her parents lodged an appeal, she was eventually placed on a six-month probation from February.

Although the situation was initially difficult, her relationship with the SSRA has improved in the last few months, said Zhe Sim, who credited the support of her family, friends, teammates and the association for helping her through that challenging period.

The Singapore Polytechnic student said: "At the start of the year a lot of things were happening - I felt very depressed about it, the news was out and I couldn't do anything much about it.