Singapore's young swimmers hope to overcome nerves, clock better times at Paris Olympics
The team left for a training camp in France in high spirits, despite the recent Olympic selection saga involving veteran swimmer Quah Ting Wen’s omission from the squad.
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SINGAPORE: Singapore is hoping to make a big splash in the pool at the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris, even as it fields an all-debutant line-up.
Swimmers bound for the Games, which starts next week, are looking to clock faster times and make it to the semi-finals or even beyond.
The team left for a training camp in France on Tuesday (Jul 16) in high spirits, despite the recent Olympic selection saga which saw the shock omission of veteran swimmer Quah Ting Wen from the squad.
The 31-year-old, who was part of the women’s 4x100m medley relay team that had met the Olympic qualifying criteria in February, was not included on a list of Singapore athletes selected to compete in Paris.
The exclusion was made final earlier this month when two separate appeals for her to be on the team were rejected. The controversy made headlines, causing Quah to say it was the “hardest setback” of her career.
Fellow swimmer Gan Ching Hwee, 20, will replace Quah to swim in the medley relay at the upcoming Games. Gan will also compete in the individual 800m and 1,500m freestyle events.
HOPING TO GO EVEN FASTER
Among the young swimmers who will be making their Olympic debut in the French capital is 22-year-old Jonathan Tan.
At the SEA Games in May last year, he became the region's fastest man in the pool, touching home first in the 50m freestyle.
With that victory, Tan also punched his ticket to Paris, clocking a time of 21.91s in the heats to meet the Olympic "A" cut timing.
He hopes to go even faster and improve on his timing at the Olympics.
“My coach and I are working towards that, improving my speed coming out of the underwater to the breakout,” said Tan.
“For every meet, I like to go in with the mindset that I want to get a new personal best. Improving my time would be my first priority. But of course, a good bonus will be making the semi-finals, or perhaps hopefully even the finals.”
“A LOT OF US ARE A LITTLE BIT NERVOUS”
Another swimmer who has been in stellar form is breaststroke specialist Letitia Sim.
The 21-year-old will be taking part in three events at the Games - the 100m and 200m events, as well as the 4x100m medley relay.
In the medley relay, she will be flying the Singapore flag high together with her younger sister Levenia, Gan, and Quah Jing Wen. They are all competing in the Olympics for the first time.
“A lot of us are a little bit nervous here and there,” said Sim.
“Leading up (to the Games), you can sense a little bit of our nervousness when it comes to practices. And that's why we have a lot of talks with our coaches and with each other, to … be there for each other and support each other during this time.”
The Olympic outing will be an important stepping stone for Team Singapore swimmers, ahead of another busy sporting calendar next year, said observers.
These young swimmers could be in action in front of a home crowd when Singapore hosts the World Aquatics Championships next July, and compete at the SEA Games in Thailand in December 2025.
