SINGAPORE – She cannot handle spicy food, yet she loves mala cuisine for its numbing sensation derived from Sichuan peppercorn and chilli.

It is clear Matilda Lai enjoys a challenge, which explains why the national basketball player began her pursuit of an economics degree at the Nanyang Technological University just two days before the inaugural FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series Singapore stop tips off at *Scape on Aug 13.

The 20-year-old is relishing the chance to test her resilience as she juggles her full-time studies and a full training load – three weekday mornings in addition to every weekday evening – for 18 to 20 hours a week – besides taking care of a nine-year-old dog that she adopted recently.

Lai told The Straits Times: “Once you decided what is worth the challenge, you have to go through with it without stopping.

“I took a gap year (in 2025) to commit to pursuing 3×3 more seriously. I wanted to see how far I can push with 3×3 in that one year and I managed to achieve some of my goals.

“There’s been a lot of ups and downs but it helped me become a better athlete, and now I want to see if I can manage both together.”

It has been a busy year for Lai, who also played at the recent Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and is set to feature at the upcoming Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya.

“Whatever time I have that isn’t spent on training will all be used to do schoolwork or rest, and I will probably ask for resources to be uploaded online so that even if I take leave of absence, I can still catch up on schoolwork on my own.”

The 1.8m Lai has come a long way since first picking up a basketball at age nine after being influenced by her cousin.

Through her love for the sport and hard work, she became a National School Games East Zone champion with Anglican High School.

She then captained Nanyang Junior College to their maiden A Division girls’ title in 2024 and was named Most Valuable Player with a game-high 26 points, before making the switch to 3×3 and earning a place in the national team.

It took time for her to get used to the different format, and there were setbacks such as not returning from the 2025 SEA Games and 2026 Asian Beach Games with a medal.

But there were also milestones as the national women’s team made it to the quarter-finals of the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup, and were one win away from a historic FIBA 3×3 World Cup qualification, in April.

The Women’s Series Singapore stop will be another challenge in Lai’s 3×3 career as her Singapore team are drawn into Pool B alongside six-time Asia Cup semi-finalists China and the Netherlands Under-25s in the world’s top competition for professional female 3×3 players.

Besides the national team, Singapore will also be represented by Lion City in the qualifiers where they need to beat Madagascar or Indonesia to get into the main draw.

Eyeing a place in the last eight of the Singapore stop, Lai said: “I hope to win medals in a few major Games, to make the top four at the Asia Cup, and make it to the quarter-finals for at least one of the remaining stops this season. Individually, I also want to improve on my skills and leadership.”

National 3×3 basketball coach Lazar Rasic feels that Lai has “developed in a proper way” physically and tactically in the past two years, and said of the teams’ prospects: “This Women’s Series stop is one of the strongest with some of the biggest names in the game.

“Lion City have a good chance to get into the main draw, and Singapore face two strong teams and will need to play their best in front of their home crowd to stand a chance of a surprise result, and we will hustle hard to achieve as best a result as we can.”

The 3×3 Women’s Series Singapore stop will be followed by the Aug 15-16 Singapore Challenger, a tournament in the FIBA 3×3 Challenger tour that serves as a direct qualifying pathway for the FIBA 3×3 World Tour.

The national men’s team are in Pool A with Dutch side Amsterdam Rabobank and Bahrain’s Seef, and will be led by captain Nur Aufa Emil Putra, who missed the Lion City Challenger in June with a slipped disc.

The 25-year-old, who was part of the team that won a historic SEA Games silver in December 2025, said: “The injury happened for a while since the Asian Beach Games in April, but I got it checked only in June.

“I was out for two weeks focusing on treatment and rehab, before going for a training camp and the Commonwealth Games where we made it out of the group stage. Anything can happen in 3×3 and our target for the upcoming tournament is to win.”

The FIBA 3×3 Youth Nations League, featuring the Singapore Under-23s and other top teams, will also take place at *Scape from Aug 20 to 26.

O Campeonato Nacional de Basquete 3×3 Sub-16 e Sub-18 de 2026 reunirá 60 equipes de províncias, cidades e regiões de todo o país.

Especificamente, a competição Sub-16 contará com 35 equipes (23 equipes masculinas e 12 equipes femininas) competindo de 1º a 6 de agosto; a competição Sub-18 contará com 25 equipes (15 equipes masculinas e 10 equipes femininas) competindo de 7 a 11 de agosto.

A província de Gia Lai participou com 7 equipes, incluindo 4 equipes sub-16 e 3 equipes sub-18, competindo nas categorias masculina e feminina.

Este torneio faz parte do sistema anual de competições nacionais, contribuindo para a avaliação do treinamento, desenvolvimento e promoção do basquete 3×3 em localidades e unidades de todo o país. Por meio dele, os atletas têm a oportunidade de competir, aprimorar suas habilidades e adquirir experiência.

Esta é também uma oportunidade para o Comitê Organizador selecionar talentos excepcionais para integrar a seleção nacional juvenil de basquete 3×3, visando torneios internacionais em um futuro próximo.