Asian Games 2026: Third medal for Gan Ching Hwee on final day of swimming competition

Gan Ching Hwee won the women's 800m freestyle silver in a national record of 8min 26.25sec at the Asian Games on 25 Sep. Photo: SpexSG/ Andy Chua

Gan Ching Hwee won her third medal in as many individual events at the 2026 Asian Games on 25 Sep, finishing second in the women’s 800m freestyle in a national record of 8min 26.25sec.

The 23-year-old had also set national records en route to taking silver in the 1500m freestyle and 400m freestyle events earlier this week, with her 800m freestyle split of 8:29.56 during the 1500m freestyle final being a new national mark.

Swimming concludes its Asiad campaign with three silvers.

Gan, the four-time SEA Games champion in the 800m freestyle, said: “These Asian Games have been something that is just so special to me. This last race, I just gave it all I had and left it all in the pool. It was the most painful race by far because of the accumulated fatigue, but I’m so glad I managed to do it again.”

Gan Ching Hwee ahead of eventual bronze medallist Ichika Kajimoto of Japan during the women's 800m freestyle silver final at the Asian Games on 25 Sep. Photo: SpexSG/ Andy Chua

She had led for most of the race, holding off defending champion Li Bingjie before the Chinese turned on the afterburners in the last 100m to surge ahead and take gold in 8:24.02. Japan’s Ichika Kajimoto was third in 8:27.37s.

Gan Ching Hwee concludes her Asian Games 2026 outing with three silver medals. Photo: SpexSG/ Andy Chua

Gan, who swam in Lane 2, said: “I was in a really good lane; I looked down almost the entire pool on the even laps so it really made me very excited being up there. I told myself, try to stay as close to (Li) as I could. I know her speed in general is very fast; her 200m is a lot faster but just being there gave me so much confidence that I was on the right track. I was doing well in terms of the entire race and just pushing from there.

“Never in my last few Asian Games campaigns did I think I could even touch a silver medal. The goal, which felt quite out of reach, was a bronze at max, to stand on the podium. To just surpass my own expectations, it’s been quite a journey.”

Gan Ching Hwee set national records in all three of her individual events. Photo: SpexSG/ Andy Chua

Her focus entering the Games was on the 1500m freestyle, and she had expected that taking silver in her pet event would take the pressure off ahead of her other events.

“But actually, going into the 400m and 800m, there was just this unspoken expectation that I had of myself to stay on the right track, stay on that trajectory (of) that improvement arc, and prove to myself that the training in the last few months have been worth it,” added Gan, who had been working on her turns this season.

In the women’s 50m butterfly final, Yeo Chiok Sze posted her second personal best of the day to finish fifth in 26.36s. The 22-year-old Asian Games debutant, who had clocked 26.44s during the morning heats, said: “It’s been a really good learning experience. I haven’t had much major Games experience, so it’s definitely something very new to perform under the spotlight with more pressure and a lot of fans in the crowd cheering you on.

“I’ve learnt a lot from my teammates and the other competitors here, like how they handle their warm-up, their post-race recovery and little things like that. I’ll definitely take those lessons with me moving on into the future.”

Asian Games debutant Yeo Chiok Sze set two personal bests in the 50m butterfly on 25 Sep. Photo: SpexSG/ Andy Chua

Reagan Cheng was ninth in 2:01.82 in the men’s backstroke final, while the women’s 4x100m medley relay quartet of Julia Yeo, Mikayla Tan, Megan Yo and Victoria Lim set a national Under-17 record of 4:09.90 en route to finishing sixth.

They are among the 19 debutants in the 29-strong swimming contingent, and for national head coach and performance director Gary Tan, the young swimmers were outstanding at these Games.

(From left) Victoria Lim, Megan Yo, Julia Yeo and Mikayla Tan set a national Under-17 record in the women's 4x100m medley relay. Photo: SpexSG/ Andy Chua

Singapore’s swimmers recorded 16 personal bests at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, of which six are senior national records. There were also five national Under-17 records. 

“As a team, we always want our guys to hit as many PBs (personal bests) as possible. We saw that from the majority of them, and we let the result just speak for itself knowing that the PBs will hopefully bring medals as well,” said Tan, who gave credit to Asian Games co-head coaches Eugene Chia and Gustavo Schirru for guiding the athletes well.

“What we came here to do was to win the medals, and I think we accomplished that in every aspect. We missed out on a couple of events on the sprints, but I think on the sprinting side, we are going back to the drawing board and looking at how we can reassess or make the guys better for future Games.”

A key focus of the 2026 Games was ensuring that Singapore’s younger swimmers got a taste of high-level racing on the big stages, as Singapore swimming looks to build a strong squad for major competitions – including the 2029 SEA Games and 2032 Olympic Games – over the next few years.

“Our coaches came in here with a game plan for all these young athletes to gain exposure at the highest level. Some have missed the SEA Games previously, but are now here at the Asian Games,” said Tan.

“That sets the tone for them to understand how the pressures of being at the Asian Games, mentally preparing them to race at the SEA Games in 2027 and not feel overwhelmed.”

The 20th Asian Games are held in Japan from 19 September to 4 October 2026. For the latest Team Singapore coverage and news, follow Team Singapore on their social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) or visit the official Team Singapore website.