SAME PREDICAMENT: Former Olympian David Lim can empathise with Quah Ting Wen as he, too, had trained without a coach before the 1984 Los Angeles Games. -- ST PHOTO: LIM WUI LIANG

The Beijing-bound swimmer, who has been without a coach since American Jack Simon quit last month, will engage the services of former Olympian David Lim.

Ting Wen, 16, will begin twice-daily sessions today at the Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road) pool, where Lim's Swimfast Aquatic Club is based.

She leaves for Beijing on Aug 2.

'I've known Uncle David since 2004, and my parents think he's a good coach and are comfortable with him,' said Ting Wen, a Secondary 4 student at Raffles Girls'.

'The location is also convenient for me before and after my classes.'

The Singapore Swimming Association (SSA) recommended yesterday that the freestyle specialist train under Ang Peng Siong or Peter Churchill, who will both be leading Singapore's swimmers to the Olympics.

But Ting Wen's mother Anne said: 'David offered his help last week after learning about our situation.

'We were sitting on his offer, and decided to take it up on Tuesday before the SSA offer came.'

Lim, a backstroke specialist who competed in the 1984 and 1988 Olympics, said he empathised with Ting Wen's plight.

He too had trained without a coach in the six weeks before the 1984 Los Angeles Games, after switching colleges following his freshman year in the United States.

He said: 'The objective is not just training, but to settle Ting Wen down emotionally and mentally after the rough time she's had.'

Singapore's four other Beijing-bound swimmers - Bryan Tay (Ang), Tao Li (Churchill) and United States-based Nicolette Teo and Lynette Lim - all have their own coaches.

Ting Wen will compete in the 100 metres freestyle and 400m individual medley, but has had less than ideal preparations so far.

First, Centre of Excellence head coach John Dempsey, who had trained her since 2004, left in March.

The Australian was reportedly not part of the SSA's plan to close the COE in favour of a six-centre decentralised model for national swimmers.

Simon, a former United States head coach, was hired a few weeks later and inherited COE trainees like Ting Wen.

She recalled: 'It was a very big change for us. Simon had a totally different style and conducted different drills.

'Then, just when everyone got used to him after about two months, he left as well.'

Simon, the first and only coach hired under SSA's new scheme, resigned a fortnight ago. He believed Singapore did not have the resources and talent base for a decentralised model.

That left Ting Wen and former COE teammates Marcus Cheah and Nicholas Tan without a full-time coach for last week's Sydney Telstra Grand Prix.

There, Cheah and Tan failed in their last-ditch attempts at Olympic qualification, as did Ting Wen in her bid to meet the 200m free qualifying time.

But that disappointment and the worries of the past few months are now behind her.

The 400 IM gold medallist at last year's South-east Asia Games is setting her sights on achieving new personal bests in Beijing.

'I'm looking forward to having the greatest experience in my swimming career, and enjoying myself to the fullest,' she said.

limze@sph.com.sg