CNA938 Rewind - From E-coli to personal bests: A Wrap of World Aquatics Championships 2025
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Straits Times
4 hours ago
- Straits Times
World Aquatics C'ships in S'pore deemed as success by athletes, fans and officials
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox French swim star Leon Marchand was among the athletes who thrilled at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore. SINGAPORE – It had not been the most ideal of starts for the World Aquatics Championships (WCH) in Singapore, with sparse crowds at the water polo and artistic swimming competitions, and a one-day delay to open water swimming due to high levels of Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria off Sentosa. But, as the 24-day competition progressed, the Republic recovered well and has earned praise from athletes, officials and fans alike as the flagship aquatics event was staged in South-east Asia for the first time. Originally awarded to Kazan, Russia, the competition was relocated in 2023 after World Aquatics stripped the country of hosting rights following its invasion of Ukraine. 'For any major multi-sport competition, it has its challenges,' said Mark Chay, co-chair of the WCH Singapore 2025 organising committee. 'I'm proud and happy to see our local organising committee come together, be nimble, agile, to actually tackle some of these. 'This puts us in a good position to host more major international events in the future. On the horizon is the 2029 SEA Games (in Singapore), and these are valuable learning points. 'With the WCH, we've shown the world that Singapore is a destination for global sporting events.' Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Singapore launches review of economic strategy to stay ahead of global shifts Singapore A look at the five committees reviewing Singapore's economic strategy World Trump says he will 'substantially' raise tariffs on India over Russian oil purchases Singapore Strong S'pore-Australia ties underpinned by bonds that are continually renewed: President Tharman Singapore All recruits at BMTC will be trained to fly drones and counter them: Chan Chun Sing Sport Singaporean swimmer Gan Ching Hwee at 'crossroads' after World Aquatics C'ships display Singapore Ong Beng Seng to be sentenced on Aug 15, prosecution does not object to fine due to his poor health Singapore Pritam Singh had hoped WP would 'tip one or two more constituencies' at GE2025 World-class acts, facilities Despite initial concerns, a total of about 140,000 spectators attended the July 11-Aug 3 event to watch a record field comprising nearly 2,500 athletes from 206 countries and territories in action at three venues: the purpose-built 4,800-seater WCH Arena, OCBC Aquatic Centre and Sentosa. There were also sell-out sessions at the finals of diving, swimming, water polo and artistic swimming. At the WCH Arena, fans were treated to world-class swimming action, including three world records – in the men's 200m individual medley, mixed 4x100m freestyle and women's 4x100m medley – and 12 championship records. Beyond the action, many athletes The Straits Times spoke with lauded Singapore for its efficiency and facilities. David Popovici, who completed the 100m and 200m freestyle double in Singapore, was one of them. He said: 'My favourite thing is that you see green everywhere. You see nature everywhere and I think that's great. Everyone here has been so civilised and polite. I'm sure a lot of other countries could learn from that.' On the organisation of the event, the Romanian, who was making his third appearance at the world meet, said he had not witnessed or heard of any issues. 'Even my family said that it's amazing how fast the queues go, how well organised everyone is,' he noted. He found the makeshift venue to be 'just as good as all the other good ones' he has been in, adding: 'I put it very high up (on my list).' David Popovici of Romania clinching gold in the men's 200m freestyle final at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore on July 29, 2025. ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY German diver Lena Hentschel, a bronze medallist at the 2023 edition, said: ' I feel like Singapore has done amazing, I've only heard good feedback, not just from our teammates but other teams from around the world. 'The venue (OCBC Aquatic Centre) is great, the hotels are good, everything worked really well, so we can't complain and we would love to come back.' Canadian swimmer Joshua Liendo, 22, had a similarly positive experience and hopes to see more meets held here. Asked what could have been better, he said he would have loved to see more fans at the 4,800-capacity WCH Arena. In comparison, the Aspire Dome at the 2024 edition in Doha could accommodate up to 8,000. He said: 'Maybe a bigger stand size to get some more crowd and for it to be louder. I mean, I've loved the energy but if there's some more fans, that'd be pretty sweet.' Mixed experience for fans Spectators relished the rare chance to catch aquatic sports at the highest level. Product manager Ng Eng Han, who watched the water polo and swimming events, said: 'With this world-class event coming to our doorstep, it's a massive opportunity to see world champions and record holders live.' For first-time visitor Phillip Hawke, whose son Charlie helped Australia win bronze in the men's 4x200m freestyle relay, the experience was seamless. The 52-year-old said: 'It's a great venue, transport is easy and the volunteers are fantastic. We hope to see Singapore host more of these swim meets.' However, not all feedback was glowing, with fans frustrated by unallocated seating in the WCH Arena. While she enjoyed the events, Suzhou native Wu Yihong, who watched several days of the swimming competition, said she had to arrive at least three hours early each day to secure a good seat to cheer on the Chinese swimmers. 'In most of the competitions I have been to, I get to choose my seat number so I try to choose closer to the pool,' said the 20-year-old, who also travelled to the 2024 Paris Olympics and the 2022 Budapest championships. 'But here, people can sit anywhere they want to, so there is a need to come as early as possible to ensure I can get in early and sit where I want to.' David Marsh, 63, who flew in from Thailand with his wife and nine-year-old son, noted that the experience had been mainly good, but said the unnumbered seats resulted in disruptions during races. The corporate safety manager in oil and gas said: 'We saw a few people get angry and lose their patience because the start of a race and people just arriving, or just at the end of the race when things are getting exciting and people are trying to find seats.' Despite efforts such as community roadshows at nine malls across Singapore to promote the event, some were surprised by the lack of local fans. These roadshows featured interactive stations offering experiences such as simulating standing on a high diving platform through virtual reality among other activities. Ng, 38, enjoyed connecting with other spectators, but noted that the majority of those he interacted with were foreign fans. Public servant Eleanor Lim, who brought her niece to watch the artistic swimming competition, felt it was a missed opportunity to promote the sports here. The 34-year-old said: 'When I asked my friends, they barely knew it was happening. 'It's a waste because there are world records being broken and you're trying to promote swimming in Singapore, but it's just that people don't know about it and I thought that was a pity because it's a huge thing .' Leaving a legacy As the event drew to a close, World Aquatics executive director Brent Nowicki did not rule out a return to the Republic, calling Singapore 'a fantastic host'. He said: 'You stepped in on this event from Kazan, so it wasn't like we have been talking for four years... 'We went fast track, and you stood tall, you got a great pool, a great facility and a great competition calendar.' For many local athletes, including national swimmer Letitia Sim, competing on home ground was particularly meaningful. The 22-year-old said: 'There are a lot of younger kids coming in to watch and that's really good to help hopefully motivate people that this can be them in the future.' National coach and performance director Gary Tan was heartened to see efforts to engage the wider community through initiatives such as clinics involving World Aquatics ambassadors, but stressed that it was important to build on the experience of hosting this meet. One key question remains about the future of the WCH Arena. At a pre-event press conference, WCH 2025 organising committee co-chair Alan Goh said authorities were considering retaining the facility to help athletes prepare for the 2029 SEA Games and for public use. Tan said: 'What's important is, you've got to see it's a carry through. 'Hopefully this would be a catalyst for us in the next world champs in Budapest, knowing that we've really gained the experience to compete at the world's championships and seen it on our doorsteps, how do we get better?'
CNA
5 hours ago
- CNA
Singapore swimmers fell short on semi-final spots at World Aquatics Championships: Head coach
National swimming head coach Gary Tan says his team could have performed better at the recently concluded World Aquatics Championships. Despite some bright spots such as Gan Ching Hwee's stellar outing, too few swimmers managed to reach the semi-finals. Gan's success has also spurred the national body to ramp up development in distance swimming. Alif Amsyar reports.
Independent Singapore
8 hours ago
- Independent Singapore
‘I was just happy I was up there'— Katie Ledecky defeated rival Summer McIntosh in the 800-meter freestyle at the World Aquatic Championships
Photo: SINGAPORE: In a race dubbed as the 'biggest race of this century, men or women, from outside of the Olympic format' by swimming analyst Rowdy Gaines, Katie Ledecky proved her dominance once again in swimming as she defeated her rival, Summer McIntosh, in the women's 800-meter freestyle at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore. With this amazing win, Ledecky expressed: ' I just knew it was close the whole way… There were times where I thought I was just going to break away. I was just happy I was up there.' Highlights of the race During the race, McIntosh had the lead with 100 meters left; however, Ledecky made her move in the final 50 meters and eventually won with a final time of 8:05.62 seconds. The race was the greatest 800-meter freestyle event by far. Surprisingly, Australia's Lani Pallister made an intense three-woman race, instead of a duel between Ledecky and McIntosh. With this, Pallister came in second with a final time of 8:05.98. McIntosh came in third place with a time of 8:07.29 seconds. The race has been exciting because the tables have been turned this year. Back in February 2024, McIntosh had defeated Ledecky in the 800-meter freestyle race. The Canadian swimmer was six seconds faster than Ledecky at the Southern Zone South Sectional Championships in Orlando, Florida. Ledecky and McIntosh have now secured their spots in the finals after winning their individual qualifying heats. Ledecky has claimed 14 Olympic medals in her swimming career—9 of them are gold medals. More so, McIntosh also made her name known at last year's Paris Olympics by clinching three golds and a silver. At the tournament, Ledecky also claimed gold in the 1,500 freestyle and a bronze in the 400-meter freestyle, in which McIntosh won gold. McIntosh also won the 200 IM and 200 fly. Both athletes have been chasing swimming records set by the iconic Michael Phelps, who won five individual gold medals at the 2007 World Championships. See also SGX Cares raises $2.5 million for charity during 20th anniversary On social media, Katie Ledecky shared: '800🥇x7 🙌🏼 thank you all for the support ❤️ and congratulations to everyone 🌏 in that field for some amazing times😍 Go USA! 🇺🇸' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Katie Ledecky (@katieledecky) Summer McIntosh personally commented on the post and stated: 'Congrats on an epic race tonight👏🏻❤️.' Netizens also commented on the post to show their support and stated: 'You're so amazing! Calm, cool, collected. Hallmark of a champ 🔥,' 'What a historic moment!!! Katie, you are the ultimate champion, leader, role model and icon! 👑🤍,' and 'Amazing. What an inspiration. Congrats Kate 🙂 you deserve it 🐐.' () => { const trigger = if ('IntersectionObserver' in window && trigger) { const observer = new IntersectionObserver((entries, observer) => { => { if ( { lazyLoader(); // You should define lazyLoader() elsewhere or inline here // Run once } }); }, { rootMargin: '800px', threshold: 0.1 }); } else { // Fallback setTimeout(lazyLoader, 3000); } });
