Hangzhou 2022: Toh Wei Soong wins TeamSG’s first gold in record time
By May Chen
As a third-time veteran of the Asian Para Games with two previous golds, it comes as no surprise that para swimmer Toh Wei Soong would be expected to perform in China.
His gold medal on Thursday (Oct 26) at the Hangzhou Olympic Centre Aquatic Sports Arena, however, came in an event he was less favoured in.
The 25-year-old won Singapore’s first title of the Games when he touched home first in a Games record of 1min 14.99sec in the men’s 100m backstroke S7.
Dominating the competition, he finished ahead of Yang Huaqiang (1:20.12) and Huang Xianquan (1:20.80), both from China.
Toh won a bronze in the same event at the last Asiad in Jakarta in 2018. Photo: SportSG/Jeremy Lee
It was his second medal in Hangzhou, having already taken silver two days earlier in the men’s 400m freestyle S7.
But Toh is known to specialise more in the freestyle and butterfly strokes, even if he favours the sprint distances.
He said: “If you look at the races I’ve been doing the past year, you’d see me step up in terms of the 100m backstroke. It was an event that I didn’t really invest too much time into in the earlier parts of my career.”
Toh said he has been spending about 25 per cent more time on this event in training, and is glad to see efforts come to fruition.
He said he has clocked faster times than the Games record he finished with and was actually aiming to break the Asian record of 1:14.71.
He added: “I attribute that to a lot of improvements made in the 50m freestyle and 50m butterfly over the last two years.”
The two 50m events are his pet events.
Toh is still to race in his two pet events, the 50m freestyle and the 50m butterfly on Friday. Photo: SportSG/Jeremy Lee
The confidence boost of a gold medal is likely to put him in good stead for Friday, when he will close his campaign by racing in the two events.
By his own admission, the Hangzhou Games have been challenging even for a seasoned competitor.
Said Toh: “It’s been a little nerve-racking for me. I can’t put it into words exactly. After 10 years in the sport, coming to my third Asian Para Games, there is both excitement and a little bit of anxiety over continuing to perform.
“That being said, I still have a lot of fun with the sport, as stressful as it can be sometimes.
“I’m not going to rest on my laurels because I didn’t exactly hit the target I was aiming for. There are still things that need to be done - we’re only halfway done, we’ll keep at it.”
The 4th Asian Para Games are held in Hangzhou, China from 22 to 28 October 2023. 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.
Related Articles
Related Topics
Recent Events & Programmes
Related Articles
Related Topics
Related Articles
View AllRelated Topics
[BlogPost 173621256014 Beyond the Finish Line: Scott Driscoll, BlogPost 173619084822 Beyond the Arena: Cheryl & Wan Xiu, BlogPost 173674993214 GetActive! Singapore 2024 Starts This Weekend, BlogPost 173587700339 Champions Behind the Scenes - Steve Chew & Ang Peng Wee, BlogPost 173408820362 Loh Kean Yew: Courtyard Prince to King of the World, BlogPost 170843989107 NSG 2024 Cricket: A Div Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) vs Raffles Institution, BlogPost 173301847816 Champions Behind the Scenes - Eugene Chua, BlogPost 173189703055 Lionesses Roar At Home To Rewrite History, BlogPost 173086728273 Pesta Sukan 2024 – A Call to Unity: Celebrating National Day through Sport, BlogPost 170848336463 NSG 2024 Cross Country: A, B & C Divisions, BlogPost 172711569511 Champions Behind the Scenes - Sng Puay Liang, BlogPost 172691923342 Champions Behind the Scenes - Lilian Chee, BlogPost 172600809048 Brief History of Pesta Sukan, BlogPost 171316266801 Team Behind The Team: Daniel Leow, The Technical Support Powering Max Maeder's Kitefoiling Triumphs, BlogPost 171884846712 Benefits of Brisk Walking: A Simple Step to Better Health, BlogPost 171576345940 Beyond the Finish Line: Jazreel Tan, BlogPost 171319972632 Beyond the Arena: Harry Lim, BlogPost 170174495264 Beyond the Finish Line: Cookie Tan, BlogPost 170154039403 "Start of a journey" as Lions take positives despite 1-3 loss to Thailand, BlogPost 170022978444 Maximilian Maeder: A Rising Star's Journey to Kite Racing Excellence, BlogPost 169756234516 So This Is What a Sold-Out Football Match Feels Like - A Young Team Nila Volunteer’s Perspective, BlogPost 169514603427 Celebrating 10 years of ActiveSG: One of Our Longest-Serving Staff, BlogPost 169257284368 Family-friendly Events and Activities to Check Out This June School Holiday!, BlogPost 80542068826 The Benefits of 60 seconds of Daily Activity, BlogPost 165261427855 NSG 2024 Canoeing: A & B Div Finals, BlogPost 167576213578 NSG 2024 Track & Field: Junior & Senior Div, BlogPost 167338296898 NSG 2024 Golf: Junior and Senior Div Finals, BlogPost 167228868705 NSG 2024 Bowling: Junior Div Finals, BlogPost 165771624850 NSG 2024 Gymnastics: Artistic Gymnastics Finals, BlogPost 168666965514 Beyond the Finish Line: Lim Tong Hai, BlogPost 165892209032 ActiveSG to Introduce New Membership and Booking Platform, MyActiveSG+, in June, BlogPost 166482134692 Celebrating 10 Years of ActiveSG: The Active Couple, BlogPost 80699737258 Never Too Old To Exercise: Here's Why Exercise Is Important For Older Adults, BlogPost 165110344506 NSG 2024 Shooting: A Div Finals, BlogPost 164745983048 NSG 2024 Netball: Senior Div Girls League 3 Preliminary Round, BlogPost 166881350253 Recognising our dedicated Team Nila volunteers: The backbone of MetaSport events, BlogPost 166901832821 Make Every Move Count, BlogPost 166900682547 Moving Together as a Family, BlogPost 166899564391 Moving More at the Workplace, BlogPost 166899010575 Rest and Recovery for Better Performance, BlogPost 165765992196 Celebrating 10 Years of ActiveSG: The Leong Brothers, BlogPost 166480987009 Lion City Sailors Win Community Shield, BlogPost 166480270261 The Kiwis Emerge Victorious in Singapore Leg of HSBC SVNS, BlogPost 165108593509 NSG 2024 Swimming: Junior Div Finals, BlogPost 166207137557 A Sneak Peek Inside Kallang Football Hub's Next-Gen Football Gym, BlogPost 165766451799 ActiveSG Celebrates 10th Anniversary with Islandwide Celebrations, BlogPost 164749641842 NSG 2024 Netball: Senior Div Girls League 3 Preliminary Round 2, BlogPost 163985727414 Beyond the Field: Exciting Sports Careers for Non-Athletes, BlogPost 164438712123 NSG 2024 Badminton: Senior Div Girls Quarter-Finals, BlogPost 164238055490 Evergreen Aleksandar Duric Still Making Headlines at 53]