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A Singapore swimmer bravely readies to compete even as she grieves the loss of her brother

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National para-swimmer Sophie Soon will take part in the Toyota World Para Swimming Championships 2025.

National para-swimmer Sophie Soon will take part in the Toyota World Para Swimming Championships 2025.

ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM

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  • Para-swimmer Sophie Soon grieves the loss of her brother, Colin, a five-time Asean Para Games gold medallist, questioning her ability to compete again.
  • Inspired by stories of athletes like Joannie Rochette and Sachin Tendulkar who competed after losses, Sophie finds strength to participate in the world championships.
  • Sophie will compete on Sept 23, carrying Colin's memory and drawing inspiration from Ed Sheeran's song, Supermarket Flowers

AI generated

In a quiet room at the Sports Hub, her guide dog Orinda lying across her feet, a young athlete weeps as she speaks. Her sentences are swollen with grief yet full of tenderness and punctuated by occasional smiles of fond remembrance.

Sophie Soon, 28, the swimmer who has a visual impairment, is talking about her brother, Colin, a five-time gold medallist at the Asean Para Games

who died earlier in 2025 at 19

.  Her pain, like anyone who suffers great loss, is ineffable and immeasurable.

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