Late bloomer Gan Ching Hwee eyes 2028 Olympics after Asian splash

As the Asian Games swim meet concludes, how do you feel about your campaign?

It was a really successful one. Being a senior athlete, I really hope I could lead by example with my performances.

Three silvers are way beyond my expectations. I would have been over the moon with a bronze. So, getting silver and then doing it again in the 400 and the 800 gives me the boost of confidence and reassurance that my training has paid off, and to trust the process even more.

A year ago, after the world championships, you told ST you were at a crossroads as you considered furthering your studies. After your performance here, where are you at now?

I really love this sport so much that stopping abruptly is not really an option to me.

As of now, it’s one season at a time. I’ll be heading for the World Cup tomorrow (Sept 26), and after that, I’ll take a pretty long break just to rest, reset and get my well-deserved celebration because I’ll be putting it off for 20 days as I race in the next three weeks.

In the last two Olympic cycles, I’ve always missed the A cut and I was selected on the B cut for Paris 2024. If I can hit an A cut, it would be really fulfilling.

You started swimming at the age of four and didn’t win any competitive races until you were 12. How did you become one of the best Asian distance swimmers?

I was quite a late bloomer. I was always the smallest among my age group until I grew taller and stronger at 12.

At 11, I picked ballet over swimming. My coach Eugene Chia told my mum I had potential in swimming, but I was doubtful. But I’m so glad I continued down this path. I wouldn’t be where I am if not for his belief despite me being such a small young athlete.

Consistency has always been one of my core values as an athlete. Also, patience, discipline and belief from myself, my family and my coach.

You’ve worked with Singapore Swimming Club’s Eugene Chia since you were 11. Tell us about your relationship.

It’s been a really long journey... just thinking about it sometimes makes me emotional.

It wasn’t really smooth-sailing from the start. When I was young, he taught me a lot, and then as I went through my teenage years, I started having my own thoughts and got a bit more rebellious.

Our relationship was quite rocky during the Covid-19 pandemic, especially because I also wasn’t seeing results. After the first circuit breaker in 2020, the training environment wasn’t really ideal because we had to split into smaller groups. I was always working on sets on my own, always first in, last out, so it got mentally challenging for me.

There would be some days that I wouldn’t even talk to him at the pool; it was really bad.

What was the turning point?

I approached a sports psychologist to work it out. She was the bridge between Eugene and I, and our relationship got better through that.

When I went to the US in 2022 to study, Eugene and I still kept in very close contact. I would send him the things we were doing so we could bridge them when I got back to Singapore, so that there’s continuity because my US coaches don’t go to the SEA Games. Eugene is the one who goes to SEA Games and writes my sets when I’m back home, which really helped a lot.

As much as I was advancing to the senior level, it was also the first (time) he was coaching someone who’s trying to make it to the Olympics. So we gave each other enough grace, worked it through eventually and here’s where we are right now.

What makes us click so well despite the challenging times is his belief in his athletes and the communication we have worked on in the past years. He also started becoming more open to adopting different training styles because he used to be very regimental and traditional, and you have to go all in, all the time, 100 per cent.

The crux of our challenges usually comes from me struggling to communicate how I’m feeling on my bad days, or when I’m dealing with an injury. Now, I feel comfortable telling him if I need a break from training on certain days, or to modify workouts to manage an injury. He has also been very trusting of such decisions as I’m a senior athlete now.

Somehow, he just brings out the best in us as people and athletes through his care and encouragement. It shows, too, with the up-and-coming younger swimmers he is coaching like Russel Pang, Victoria Lim and Sarah Sim.

You compete in many freestyle events, and sometimes in the relays. Where do you get this capacity from?

It’s from him (Chia) lah. As I said, he has a very traditional coaching mindset, but it was the right move for me to not specialise too early. I did the 400m individual medley, which he thinks is a great foundational piece for aerobic training and versatility, not shying away from challenging sets or events because the 400IM is really painful.

So, kudos to him for guiding me down that path. I wouldn’t be where I am without his knowledge in this type of things. Specialising only later in your career helps us have the longevity and endurance mentally to push through years of training and hard work.

On top of your hectic programme, why do you swim the shorter distances in relays?

The 200m is also part of my range of events, and on top of that, handing over the torch is also very important, right?

Having a senior who is able to guide the juniors is important because they are, after all, the next generation that is up and coming. It’s a good experience for them to be able to enjoy the finals and to manage their emotions on such occasions as well.