Derrick Zhang Gains Maximum Exposure at World Championships Debut!

Derrick Zhang (middle) on the opening day of the World Armwrestling Championships 2025 in Albena, Bulgaria

By Derrick Zhang

Representing Singapore at the 2025 WAF World Armwrestling Championships was the most intense and eye-opening experience of my sporting journey so far. With over 60 countries, 1,500 competing athletes, and thousands more coaches, referees, and officials present, the event was a true showcase of the global scale of our sport. I was the sole representative from Singapore, competing in the Junior 65 kg right arm class.

The sheer scale of WAF stood out immediately. Eight tables ran matches simultaneously, screens lit up with constantly shifting categories, and the arena buzzed with dozens of languages and team chants. The hotel breakfasts were packed with Para-Athletes and female armwrestlers which Singapore currently doesn’t have.

The opening ceremony alone stretched three hours, with athletes from powerhouse countries like Georgia, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkey marching in with large delegations of coaches and officials. By contrast, I stood alone on stage holding the Singapore sign, balancing the responsibilities of competitor, administrator, manager, and coach all at once.

In addition to competing, I attended more than ten hours of WAF Congress meetings and technical seminars alongside senior federation leaders and held voting rights as team captain of Singapore. These meetings showed how much more structured other federations are—teams of officials managing logistics, medical staff ensuring readiness, and coaches focusing solely on preparing their athletes. For them, the competitor’s only task was to armwrestle. For me, I had to juggle registrations, weigh-ins, and representation duties on top of preparing to pull. It was a stark reminder of the professional gap Singapore still needs to close.

Preparation for the competition was grueling but disciplined. I cut 11 kgs in the ten weeks before weigh-in, finishing with a 5-day water and salt load, then cutting down to under 500mls of water the day before weigh ins. I stepped on the scale exactly at 65.00 kg after stripping completely nude, a difficult but successful cut. My training taper involved heavy table time until 2 weeks out, then switching to lighter technical sessions and band work, though injuries earlier in the year had already cost me significant sparring time.

Vlad Dobuleac (Moldova) vs Derrick Zhang (SGP) in Match 2 of the Junior Boys u65 kg Right Arm

On competition day (Sep 14), the mental side proved just as tough as the physical. My category wasn’t called until 1:45 pm, which meant pacing anxiously around the arena for five hours straight, warming up multiple times, heart racing at 150 bpm as I worried about missing my call.

Match 1 (vs Norway): A painful loss. My opponent slipped in a losing position twice. On the second, I believed I had secured the pin, but the referee called an elbow foul against me. I had €100 ready to protest but blanked out in the moment and walked away, one of my biggest regrets. The Norwegian went on to lose two straight and was far below the top level, leaving me convinced, I missed a major opportunity.

Match 2 (vs Moldova): A textbook win. I sensed a low-hand attempt, went high-hand toproll, forced a slip, dominated the strap setup, and pinned cleanly.

Match 3 (vs WAF Neutral/Russia): A battle. First start, I fouled. Second start, he almost pinned me but fouled on the way down. Third, we slipped into straps. Fourth, I was warned for cupping. Refereeing was particularly strict on the buckle side. I gained position briefly, but his side pressure overwhelmed me, ending my run.

Derrick with Georgian armwrestler Bacho Saginashvlli (Current World Champion 110 kg Youth Left Arm)

I could complain against the results and go on talking about how I got the buckle side all 3 rounds - how I was able to keep up and pin the top guys in the afterpulls, how the styles of the top 5 were what my style countered and that I stood a chance. However, nothing speaks louder than results. If I were truly dominant enough, none of that would have mattered.

Personally, I gained more experience in this trip than I think I would have if I stuck competing in East Asia for the next 10 years. The sheer amount of information I was exposed to about the world of armwrestling, beyond what I’ve known is mind-boggling.

While Singapore struggles to get even one para or women match-up, those numbers at the worlds rack in at the hundreds. Granted that we are making solid and steady progress as a nation in Armwrestling, the gap between us and the world level still exists – and it is by no means small. With structured support from the government and more upcoming athletes, I have my sights set on Ottawa 2027 or Norway 2028 in the youth 23 70/75kg categories.

With National Service coming up and the seemingly unanimous opinion that it’ll significantly hinder what I can achieve in armwrestling, I refuse to let circumstances dictate my ceiling. Canada, Norway or both – I’ll be back to Worlds – as strong as I can possibly push myself to be.

18-year-old Derrick Zhang is Singapore’s top-ranked Junior puller. Having recently graduated from the Singapore American School, Derrick will begin his National Service stint in October.