SINGAPORE – Even before the winners’ trophies and medals, indoor skydivers and sisters Kyra and Vera Poh’s biggest fan was their grandfather Sunny Teo.

He was a constant presence at training and competitions, and his pride for his granddaughters was evident – he would cut out, laminate and display newspaper articles featuring them on his walls at home, even keeping copies in his car for his friends to read.

Teo always hoped that the siblings would compete together one day, but he died in 2017 before he got to witness it.

His wish was finally fulfilled in 2021, when they first competed together at the Belgium Open Indoor Skydiving Championship.

On April 4, their partnership took another big step, as they competed as a duo on the world stage for the first time, claiming silver in the two-way dynamic open event at the 6th FAI World Cup of Indoor Skydiving.

Older sister Kyra, 24, said: “Even back when we were just starting out, he (Teo) was always so excited for us and so invested in what we were doing.

“When he passed away he actually left instructions in his will to make sure Vera would have funds to train – she was 10 years old then.

“The idea of us competing together was something he really hoped to see one day, so being able to finally do that now carries a lot of meaning for both of us.”

Vera, who plans to enrol in the Lasalle College of the Arts, hopes they have done their grandfather proud, adding: “Competing together adds a whole different layer to everything. There’s a trust and understanding between sisters that just comes naturally because we’ve grown up together.”

While the sisters, who have a seven-year age gap, participated in competitions together, opportunities to compete as a team at world-level events were rare because the open category requires athletes to be at least 15.

As such, Vera usually paired up with Kai Minejim...