Toh clinched his second bronze of the Games in the 100m freestyle S7. Photo: SNPC/ Lau Lup Yun
Singapore para swimmer Toh Wei Soong got his second medal of the Games on Tuesday (Oct 20) night, clocking 1min 5.33sec en route to a bronze in the 100m freestyle S7.
The 2018 champion, who did not compete in the event in Hangzhou as it was not included in the programme then, finished behind China’s Zhang Yilong (1:03.66) and Uzbek youngster Sardor Bakhtiyorov (1:04.91).
Toh, who came into the Games off the back of ASEAN Para Games gold in January, said: “I am just happy to be here, going out swinging and fighting as hard as I can.”
On the stiff competition in the final, Toh, who was fifth at last September’s World Para Swimming Championships and the only Asian to make the eight-man final, added: “Many of these Chinese swimmers are new. This is my first time racing against many of them, and that’s the nature of para sport. Sometimes you never know what you are going to face going into major Games.”
“It’s never been made easy for me. It’s always been unexpected turns and surprises around every corner, so you got to stay on your toes and do the best you can,” the 28-year-old said.
He is slated to defend his titles in the 50m butterfly S7, 100m backstroke S7 and 50m freestyle S7 over the next three days.
It was yet another mixed evening for third-time Asian Para Games competitor Wong Zhi Wei, who broke records and personal bests but came agonisingly close to his first piece of Asiad silverware.
He finished fourth in the men’s 100m freestyle S13 in a time of 58.55s a day earlier and missed out on the podium by one spot in both of his races on Tuesday.
In the men’s 400m freestyle S13 final, Wong touched home in 4:38.19 to set a new national best. More importantly, his time met the Minimum Qualification Standard (MQS) of 4:38.97 for the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympics.
“The 400 was great. Lifetime best. Qualified for the MQS for the Paralympics, so pretty happy with that.”
In the heats of the men’s 100m breaststroke SB13 in the morning, he set a new personal best of 1:15.48 and went one better to clock 1:13.50 in the evening’s final.
His time was just three-hundredths of a second short of eventual bronze medallist Abadi Karimi Jahan of Iran.
“I’ve been fourth for three races, so I wish that I could get a medal, but looking at all three races, especially the 400, it was well executed according to my coaches’ plan. In terms of understanding the process, it worked out well… But definitely want to improve on it and hopefully get a medal.”
“I’ve improved position-wise from the previous Games, so I am getting better at it. I am just focusing on working it out with my coach, and hopefully this is a stepping stone towards the LA Paralympics.”
In the women’s 100m breaststroke SB13, Sophie Soon came sixth in a time of 1:33.93.
The 5th Asian Para Games are held in Japan from 18 to 24 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.