Singapore swimmer Gan Ching Hwee eyes gold sweep at upcoming SEA Games

SINGAPORE: With Olympic champion Joseph Schooling hanging up his goggles last year, attention has turned to Singapore’s next generation of brightest golden hopefuls at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games. 

Among them is rising long-distance star Gan Ching Hwee.

The 22-year-old will head to Bangkok this month targeting a third straight sweep of her individual freestyle events – the 200m, 400m and 800m.

CONFIDENT AHEAD OF GAMES

Over the past few years, Gan has blossomed into one of the world’s top distance swimmers, with stellar outings at both the Olympics and World Aquatics Championships.

Having already collected 11 SEA Games gold medals across four editions, she enters the Thai capital with a renewed sense of confidence. 

Being based in Singapore this time – unlike previous Games, when she trained in the United States – has reduced the strain of jet lag and weather adjustments.

Gan said the experience she has gained on the world stage has transformed her mindset.

“My pretty positive experiences at the major games in the past few years, it's really boosted my confidence and my self-belief,” she said.

“I think that mental aspect is a very important part of being an athlete, and as I grow and I enter the more senior levels of competition, it's a very crucial element, on top of the physical aspects – swimming and training.”

Aside from her three individual events in Bangkok, she could also feature in relay events and the open water discipline.

With the 1,500m off the slate this year, Gan’s training is now focused on shorter distances.

Her coach, Eugene Chia, said preparations for Bangkok have zeroed in on technical and speed improvements to get her ready for a wider repertoire of events such as the 4x100m and 4x200m relays.

SIGHTS ON ASIAN GLORY

At the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore in July, Gan was the country’s top performer and its only finalist.

Just a year earlier at the Paris Olympics, she set national records in the 800m and 1,500m freestyle. She finished ninth in the latter, narrowly missing out on what would have been a historic final.

Gan has already set her sights beyond Bangkok.

Next year will bring the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, followed by the Asian Games in Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya, Japan.

She is determined to improve on her near-miss in Hangzhou in 2023.

“My goal at the Asian Games would be to medal. I finished fourth place at the last Asian Games in Hangzhou. So I think the medal will be something that I'll be aiming for,” she said.

“We've identified certain areas, like technical aspects of my stroke that can be worked on, like my pull, my catch and stuff like that,” she added.

“On top of that, we've also been working on more speed-related stuff, instead of the usual long-distance stuff.”

Coach Chia added that her preparations for the SEA Games have been designed with the Asian Games in mind.

“This technical improvement, this phase that we've been doing, improving skills by using technology … are all part of that journey to help her swim well at the Asian Games next year,” he added.

Standing in her way is a strong field that includes Olympic medallist Kayla Sanchez of the Philippines, who is expected to mount a keen challenge.

But her recent form suggests Gan is arriving in Bangkok right where she wants to be.