Leia Yap

Name: Leia Yap

Name in Chinese/Tamil Character: 叶馨蕾

Height: 158 cm

Current School: Singapore Sports School

Age began gymnastics and reason for starting: I started rhythmic gymnastics when I was 8 years old. Saw YouTube videos on Artistic gymnastics and wanted to join but my primary school only had rhythmic gymnastics so just joined that instead.

First Club: Rhythm and Groove

First Coach: Coach Andrea

Current Club: Rhythm & Groove

Current Coach: Coach Ralina Rakipova

Favourite apparatus: None, all feel the same.

Favourite skill: Back scale turn

Most difficult skill to learn so far: My hoop last risk

Personal Best Recorded and the Event in which it was recorded: National championships hoop final : 24.100

Who is your favourite gymnast and why? Megan Tan from Rhythm and Groove. I really like watching Megan's routines and seeing her progress.

Favourite movie: Cruella

My favourite local dish: Ice Kachang. Singapore is very hot and eating this helps cook my body down and it’s very refreshing.

My main support group: My friends and parents.

If I was not an athlete, I would like to be... A ballerina.

One interesting fact that most people do not know about me is... I love cats.

Any other pre-competition routines that you practice besides warm up? Before sleeping I review my routines in my head the night before competition.

What is the greatest challenge you have faced in your sporting career? How did you overcome that? My clubs breaking a few days before National Championship. Used my friends ones for a while and had to find my old ones to use.