Singapore swimmer Letitia Sim sets new national record, meets Olympic qualification mark

SINGAPORE: Singapore swimmer Letitia Sim met the 2024 Paris Olympics “A” cut for the women’s 100m breaststroke on Thursday (Nov 30) as she finished second in the event at the Japan Open.

Sim’s time of 1:06.36 also meant that she rewrote her previous national record of 1:06.86, set last month, as she clinched silver behind Japan’s Reona Aoki at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.

The Olympic qualifying time for the women’s 100m breaststroke is 1:06.79.

It has been a stellar year for the 20-year-old, who won multiple gold medals at the Southeast Asian Games in May.

She then registered two fourth-place finishes in the 100m and 200m breaststroke events at the Hangzhou Asian Games and also set a new national record in the 50m breaststroke where she finished seventh.

Last month, she set two national records – in the 200m breaststroke as well as the 100m breaststroke – at a World Aquatics Swimming World Cup event in Berlin.

Speaking after the race, Sim said she knew that she had been close to the “A” cut for a few months but “wasn’t quite sure when and if” she would meet the qualifying mark.

“But I had a good swim this morning and I think that set the tone for today. Going into the final, my aim was to stay close to the Japanese next to me. We’ve competed a few times before and I know she is a good swimmer,” she said.

“After the first 50, I had a good feeling, and in the end, I’m really happy to have achieved the ‘A’ cut. It made all the hard work by everyone, including my National Training Centre team and coaches, worth it.”

Sim said that she would not go to Paris just to make up the numbers.

“Now that I’ve qualified for the Olympics, I don’t want to just go and swim the prelims. I want to go there and do my best,” she said.

“And that’s what I hope to do and see how far it would take me. I am also hoping that more of us get to qualify and I am hoping that we can get the ‘A’ cut for the relay team at the ( 2024 World Aquatics Championships).” 

Sim is the second Singapore swimmer to make the Olympic “A” cut this year, after Jonathan Tan.

Tan set a Games and national record of 21.91s in the 50m freestyle heats at the SEA Games in May. The Olympic qualifying time for the event is 21.96s.

Tan went on to clinch gold in the event.