Singapore's youngest athlete makes debut against world's elite at just 14
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CNA
34 minutes ago
- CNA
Singapore's Gan Ching Hwee finishes 7th in women's 1,500m freestyle final at world championships
It was a bittersweet evening for Team Singapore swim sensation Gan Ching Hwee at the World Aquatics Championships. The 22-year-old competed against the world's best as the fastest Asian swimmer in the women's 1,500m freestyle final. But she fell short of a medal and around two seconds off a new national record, after finishing seventh with a time of 16:03.51. Nikhil Khattar reports from the race.
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CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
Katie Ledecky wins women's 1,500m freestyle, Gan Ching Hwee finishes seventh at World Aquatics Champs
US swimmer Katie Ledecky (top) and Singapore swimmer Gan Ching Hwee (bottom) in action during the Women's 1500m Freestyle Finals By CNA/Wallace Woon Gan is the only Singapore swimmer to have made a final in this edition of the World Aquatics Championships. 22-year-old Gan started strong with the fastest reaction time of 0.64 seconds. Ledecky, the most decorated female swimmer in history, led the race from start till end. Gan (above) clocked a time of 16:01.29 in the heats, besting her previous record by nine seconds. Ledecky (below) came within one second of her championship record. Ledecky's win is her 22nd world championship gold medal, extending her dominance in the event. Among those who attended the race were President Tharman Shanmugaratnam (pictured) and International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry. Next Story
Straits Times
5 hours ago
- Straits Times
Irish swimming's trailblazer Daniel Wiffen wants a world record
SINGAPORE – The dejection on Daniel Wiffen's face was unmistakable as the defending champion touched the wall fifth in the second heat of the World Aquatics Championships (WCH) men's 800m freestyle on July 18. His time of 7min 46.36sec was almost five seconds behind Tunisia's Ahmed Jaouadi, who won in 7:41.58. This was a far cry from the 2024 final in which he cruised to gold by two seconds. After initial despair, there was some relief as the 24-year-old Irishman squeezed into the July 29 final as the eighth-ranked qualifier overall. A month before the meet, he was hit by appendicitis but chose to treat it with antibiotics, putting off surgery until after the championships. He told The Straits Times at the WCH Arena: 'I don't feel the appendicitis, but I have to get it out after this competition. I held off the surgery until after the world champs because I wanted to give a good crack at defending both my (800m and 1,500m freestyle) titles. I hope it's not affecting me anymore... it certainly looks like it is, but I don't know. 'That was probably one of the worst swims I've done in a long time. But whatever we are overcoming right now, we are going to come back stronger.' Born in England, the lanky and bubbly Irishman's brush with fame began at a young age. As an 11-year-old, despite not being allowed to watch the Game of Thrones, he managed to snag a role as an extra in the popular TV drama alongside his twin brother Nathan in the famous Red Wedding scene. His sister Elizabeth had a more prominent role as Neyela Frey. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Grace Fu apologises for Tanjong Katong sinkhole, says road may stay closed for a few more days Singapore Terrorism threat in Singapore remains high, driven by events like Israeli-Palestinian conflict: ISD Singapore S'pore can and must meaningfully apply tech like AI in a way that creates jobs for locals: PM Wong Singapore 7, including child and firefighter, taken to hospital after fire breaks out in Toa Payoh flat Sport IOC president Kirsty Coventry a 'huge supporter' of Singapore Singapore ICA inspector obtained bribes in the form of sex acts from 6 foreign men in exchange for his help Singapore Doctor who forged certificates for aesthetic procedures gets 4 months' jail Singapore 12 motorists nabbed for providing illegal private-hire services: LTA His swimming journey with his brother began when they joined local Water Babies sessions at just three months old and started competing at age six – Daniel and Nathan specialised in freestyle and backstroke respectively. By 13, he made the national team. Despite setting 800m and 1,500m freestyle national records, he missed both finals at his first Olympics in Tokyo 2020, and finished fourth in both events at the 2023 world championships. But he went on to break the 1,500 free short course world record with a blistering 7:20.46 later that year at the European Championships. He then claimed double gold at the WCH 2024 before going on to become the first Irishman to win Olympic swimming medals with his 800m gold in Olympic record time (7:38.19) and 1,500m bronze at Paris 2024. 'I was telling people for five years I was going to be the Olympic champion in Paris and nobody believed me at the start, but as we got closer, everybody was like 'this guy is easily gonna win'', said Daniel, who has the words 'dream big' tattooed on his arm. Since his historic feats for Ireland, life has been 'very weird' for him as he gets stopped for photos, even when he was on holiday in Bali. But he has remained down-to-earth, donating his entire £25,000 (S$43,000) Olympic Medallist Fund to his former school, St. Patrick's Grammar School, to build a new gym, enhance its sporting facilities and provide new equipment. While all eyes are on the women's 400m and 800m freestyle showdowns between American legend Katie Ledecky and Canadian sensation Summer McIntosh, he feels the men's 800m is 'definitely more competitive'. Although he is not in his best condition here, it should not be long before he flashes his trademark two-hand W celebration, which stands for Wiffen and winning, again. Eyeing the world records held by Chinese swimmer Zhang Lin in the 800m (7:32.12) and American Bobby Finke in the 1,500m (14:30.67), he said: 'Breaking a world record is a different type of feeling because you're the fastest-ever, whereas at the Olympics there are like nine other men winning Olympic golds. 'Everyone says the hardest thing to do is to win a world championships after an Olympics, and I'm up for the challenge. I think winning back-to-back world championships is going to be better than winning the Olympics for me.'
