Kayaking brothers Titus and Evan Ching help Team Singapore win big at New Zealand meet
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(From left) Titus Ching, Evan Ching, Wang Yi Hua and Luke Diez Thang, the gold medallists in the U-16 men’s K4 500m event at the Asia Pacific Sprint Cup in New Zealand.
PHOTO: SINGAPORE CANOE FEDERATION
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SINGAPORE - Kayaking brothers Titus and Evan Ching spend all their waking hours training and competing together, and the close bond and chemistry proved to be a winning combination at the April 21-24 Asia Pacific Sprint Cup in New Zealand as they claimed the bulk of the medals in the squad.
The duo were part of Singapore’s 30-strong national junior team who clinched eight gold, three silver and six bronze medals for the nation’s best finish in the event since 2018.
Titus, 16, was the best performer, winning six Under-16 golds, including one individual title in the K1 200m, and one silver in the K1 500m, while his younger brother Evan, 14, won four team golds.
“I wanted to do it to the best of my ability to podium for Singapore but I didn’t expect to medal in every event I took part in,” said Titus, who was competing overseas with his younger brother for the first time.
Evan added: “I didn’t expect anything much, I was racing people who were two years older than me.”
“Competing as brothers is just a whole new experience, it’s a whole other thing from competing with teammates. This time, all my events were with (Titus) and it really feels different.”
Titus added: “The trust we have can’t be matched with others, we both know we are giving it our all and can fully trust each other. We have each other’s backs.”
Titus and Evan, who are both students at Anglo Chinese School (Independent), started their kayaking journey when they were nine and seven respectively.
A meet-and-greet session with the 2015 SEA Games women’s canoeing team inspired the brothers to try out the sport. Titus joined the national junior team when he was in Secondary 2, while Evan joined in 2022.
“Sometimes in the water we argue a bit, but what happens in the water stays in the water. Outside of it, we are still brothers,” said Titus.
Evan added: “We’re really close, we make memories together and do everything together.”
After a record run, Singapore team manager Lim Han Yong believes that the juniors have the potential to graduate to the national team. “The jump in standards from 2018 and 2019 to now is really great, this is a remarkable feat from the athletes and coaches,” he said.
“I’m not trying to put pressure on the two of them or the other youth athletes but I think they can definitely make the national team. Titus can make the SEA Games 2025 team.”
The junior team at the New Zealand event also included 2021 SEA Games canoeists Kendrick Ang and Pan Congchang, who won a bronze in the K4 500m event.
Lim added: “We are building up our youth team to be the core of the SEA Games team in 2029. We are also looking at podium finishes in future Asian Games and to perhaps qualify for the Olympics.”
