Singaporean swimmer Gan Ching Hwee at ‘crossroads’ after World Aquatics C’ships display

SINGAPORE – After clocking thousands of kilometres in the pool and posting the quickest times in Singapore in the women’s 400m, 800m and 1,500m freestyle, national swimmer Gan Ching Hwee is considering her future in the sport.

While the Dec 9-20 SEA Games in Thailand and the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya are in her sights, she told The Straits Times that she is undecided about committing to another Olympic qualifying campaign for Los Angeles 2028.

The 22-year-old said: “I’m at a crossroads of how far I want to take my swimming.

“After swimming so many years, I really still enjoy the sport a lot, but I also want to progress in other parts of my life, like my studies.”

The high-flier graduated from Indiana University in May with a nutrition science degree and a perfect grade point average (GPA) of 4.0 to share the Dean’s Recognition Award for students with the highest GPA.

After a full three-month block of training, she was Singapore’s top performer and only finalist at the World Aquatics Championships (WCH) in home waters.

She finished seventh in the 1,500m final as the second-fastest Asian behind China’s Li Bingjie after setting a national record of 16min 1.29sec in the heats, with another national record through her 800m split of 8:29.93. She was also placed 13th in both the 400m (4:09.81) and 800m (8:31.36) heats.

Gan said: “I’ve always wanted to further my studies in something which I’m undecided on right now, and that piece has not really aligned with my competition schedule.

“My coach (Singapore Swimming Club’s Eugene Chia) and I are taking it one step and one meet at a time, constantly reassessing as we go through the meets to see if my body and mind can handle the swimming and training.”

National swimming coach and performance director Gary Tan is aware of her dilemma and has been in talks with Chia and Gan.

He said: “We will need to discuss with Ching Hwee about what’s best for her at this point in her life and see how we can help to keep things interesting for her to keep swimming at the highest level.

“If there is the possibility of going for one more Olympic cycle, Singapore Aquatics will be there to support her.”

Gan started swimming at the Chinese Swimming Club at four, and while she did not win any competitive races until she was 12, it was in the last decade that she really blossomed into a top distance swimmer.

In 2018, she was 15 when she claimed her first senior national record in the 1,500m free (16:39.70) at the Asian Games. At the 2023 SEA Games, she bagged four golds in the 200m, 400m and 800m free and 4x200m free relay.

At the Paris 2024 Olympics, she set national records in the 800m and 1,500m freestyle and missed a historic place in the longer-distance final by less than 1.5 seconds.

But success has come with sacrifices, as she trains six days a week and has only Sundays off. Even then, she feels she cannot fully relax.

Gan said: “It is not just about training, but also every other aspect of life that contributes to performance, like sleep, nutrition and recovery, especially when we are competing at such a high level.

“It’s being intentional with everything, and it gets tiring.”

In university, she had to study and take exams on the road while competing at the Asian Games and SEA Games.

With the world championships, 2025 SEA Games and 2026 Asian Games, the schedule presents another challenge if she furthers her studies in the United States, Europe or Australia.

Regardless of her decision, Gan is grateful for her experiences, noting that these have made her a better swimmer and person.

Studying, training and competing with a packed race schedule in the US helped foster the “championship mindset of getting behind the blocks even though you’re tired, race the person next to you and get your hand on the wall first”, she shared.

Returning home to train “with kids 10 years younger than me” at her club proved to be a plus owing to their energy.

At the recent WCH, Gan said that watching 18-year-old Canadian Summer McIntosh and 23-year-old Frenchman Leon Marchand dominate and break championship and world records, as well as China’s Li blazing a trail for Asia, taught her “not to put a limit to what I can achieve”.

And after testing her limits at swimming’s biggest stage, she will take a well-deserved holiday.

She said: “Other than extending for a couple of days after overseas meets, I don’t think I’ve taken an intentional holiday in the last eight to 10 years, so it would be nice to take the time to enjoy and just chill.”