SINGAPORE – No swimmer has earned a ticket to the Paris Olympics yet, but Singapore Swimming Association president Mark Chay is confident that the Republic will be represented in 2024.
Chay is also hoping that younger swimmers such as Teong Tzen Wei and Jonathan Tan will make their Olympic debuts in Paris. The qualification window opens on March 1, 2023.
Teong became the region’s fastest swimmer at the SEA Games in May, reached the 50m butterfly final at June’s world championships and clinched the 50m fly silver at the Commonwealth Games in July.
Tan had missed out on the last Olympics by just 0.1sec in the 50m freestyle. Singapore were represented by three swimmers – 2016 champion Joseph Schooling, Quah Zheng Wen and Quah Ting Wen – in the delayed Tokyo Games in 2021.
Pointing to last week’s Major Games Qualifiers, Chay was optimistic that the swimmers are gearing up well for major competitions in 2023.
He said: “We’ve had some very positive results. They’re not the best but it’s good to see people already clocking these kind of times at this time of the season.
“Everyone is going to be fast next year and the SEA Games will be quite important because the top swimmers are hoping to make their qualification marks for the Olympics there.
“We’ve always had qualifiers for the Olympics and now we’re seeing swimmers like Teong and Jonny coming up. They’re of age now and hopefully they’ll make it this time, especially since they were knocking on the door last time.”
Teong, 25, and Tan, 20, had previously qualified for the SEA Games and Asian Games in 2023. They again went under the Asiad “A” cut of 22.59sec for the 50m free at the Major Games Qualifiers, which ended on Saturday.
Teong has also qualified for the 50m and 100m butterfly for the Hangzhou Asian Games, while Tan also previously cleared the 100m and 200m free marks.
Teong, who returned from a one-month suspension in October after admitting to consuming drugs overseas along with two other swimmers, clocked 22.13sec, while Tan recorded 22.56sec.
The Olympic “A” time for the 50m free is 21.96sec, while Teong’s national record of 21.93sec was at the SEA Games in May.
Chay was speaking on the sidelines of the Katong Pool Heritage Gallery’s opening at the ActiveSG Katong Swimming Complex on Sunday.
The event was also attended by South East District mayor Fahmi Aliman, the sport’s legends Tay Chin Joo and Patricia Chan as well as national swimmer Marina Chan.
The gallery houses artefacts from when Katong Swimming Complex first opened in 1975 and highlights the history of Tanjong Katong as well as key sporting moments, such as the opening of the nearby Singapore Swimming Club and Chinese Swimming Club.
Tay and the Chan family are also honoured in the gallery. A photo of a 10-year-old Tay being congratulated by former President Yusof Ishak for her gold medal at the 1965 South-east Asian Peninsular Games brought a smile to her face.
The 67-year-old said: “At 10 years old, you were obviously very honoured and excited that the President is actually talking to you. That’s all I could think of.
“It’s nice to be remembered. At that time, you were just participating for your country so the fact that they recognise you, that’s a bonus.”
Patricia Chan, who won 39 SEA Games gold medals from 1965 to 1973, said the gallery was a brilliant addition to the complex.
She said: “It’s always good to come to a place that has had either important people or someone who has made an impact in the community, because you can relate to something or someone.”
Her niece Marina, who hopes to be selected for the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia, recalled visiting Katong for leisure swims outside training at Chinese Swimming Club with her friends and family.
The 24-year-old added: “I know what my family has achieved. But to see it on the wall and immortalised, it’s a different level of respect and understanding of what they’ve been through.”
