Swimming: Chantal Liew qualifies for Olympics, makes history for Singapore
SINGAPORE: Open water swimmer Chantal Liew on Saturday (Jun 19) booked her place in next month’s Tokyo Olympics, becoming the first Singaporean to ever qualify in the discipline.
Liew finished 29th in the 10km race at FINA Olympic Marathon Swim Qualifier in Setubal, Portugal, sealing her qualification spot for the women’s marathon swimming event at the Olympics.
The 22-year-old clocked a time of 2:12:19.5 and qualified by virtue of being the best Asian finisher behind Japanese athletes Yumi Kida and Minami Niikura.
Writing her name in the history books is not new to Liew. In 2017, she was first Singaporean woman to win an open water swimming medal at the SEA Games after she clinched a silver in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong congratulated Liew.
"Congrats Chantal! Wishing you all the best in your last lap of training for the Games next month. Stay focused and stay strong," Mr Tong wrote.
The Tokyo Olympics, which was postponed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, will begin on Jul 23.