Yeo Kian Chye began his sporting career as a long jumper in 1963. Three years later, he set a national record of 7.01m and later to 7.23m. He began to train as a national sprinter in 1967 and was selected for the national 4x100m relay team to the SEAP games in Bangkok.

He continued his illustrious career bringing home three silvers and two bronzes over the next five Games with his best performance in 1971, finishing second to Thailand’s Anat Ratapol in the 100m sprint. This performance impressed the West German Track and Field Association who invited him to train in Cologne for two and a half months to prepare for the 1972 Munich Olympics. The training benefited Kian Chye who recorded times of 10.5 sec for the 100m and 21.8 sec for the 200m sprints. He even set an Asian best mark of 9.5 sec in the 100m yard race in Aug 1972, a feat that won him the Best Sportsman of the Year award.

He became more popular when the 4 x 100m relay team of which he was a member clinched the bronze medal at the 1974 Asian Games in Teheran. Kian Chye retired the following year but has remained active as a track & field coach.