On a scary gymnastics beam, a Singaporean takes a giant leap

The length of a standard wooden pencil is close to 18cm, a toothbrush is roughly 19cm and my iPhone stops just short of 15cm. These measurements may seem random, but they are vital to understanding the flexible finesse of gymnast Amanda Yap.

- Rohit Brijnath Assistant Sports Editor

Because on Oct 25, at 2.42pm in Jakarta at the world championships, this young Singaporean teenager will ascend onto a cushioned balance beam and have 90 seconds to produce sustained acts of explosion, equilibrium and elegance.

And, yes, that beam, it’s only 10cm wide.

To be precise this is an athletic playing field which is 5m long yet no wider than the span of your hand. A surface not even wide enough for two feet to stand side by side. When they say degree of difficulty in gymnastics do they actually mean a degree of madness?

And yet on it, Amanda, only 15, will - to use layman’s terms - leap, spring, flip, swivel, somersault, in the first final any Singaporean has ever reached at a gymnastics world championships.

So what will judges be looking for? Her sister, Emma, 20, herself a fine gymnast, laughs.

“Honestly, perfection.”

There’s a gasping thrill to watching an athlete stay stable while performing an intricate skill. MotoGP racers touch their shoulders to the tarmac while taking corners. Figure skaters carry partners while gliding on the edge of a blade. Surfers find steadiness on a board as an ocean growls around them.