(from left) Quah Zheng Wen, Chan Chun Ho, Jonathan Tan and Mikkel Lee won the men's 4x100m medley relay on Dec 12. Photo: SportSG/ Andy Chua
Two teenage debutants broke national records as Singapore won two more golds on the third day of swimming action.
Gan Ching Hwee completed a three-peat in the women’s 400m freestyle with a third straight title, clocking 4min 11.88sec on Dec 12 at the Sports Authority of Thailand.
She had entered the final with some self-doubt after a less-than-ideal swim in the heats, but shook it off to win gold.
Gan Ching Hwee won her third 400m freestyle title in a row. Photo: SNOC/ Kelly Wong
She said: “The morning swim wasn’t as smooth as I’d hope it would be, so I came into tonight’s final with a little bit of self-doubt. I just remember my coach telling me to trust myself and to swim like I’ve always been training and it will be fine, so I’m glad I did that.
“With every race, I feel anxious, I still feel the nerves. There’s a piece of me that always hopes to perfect the execution and be better with each race.
“But obviously, at this level, personal bests are not always guaranteed and we’re always striving for that. So the pursuit of excellence kind of turns into a bit of self-doubt sometimes.”
In the women’s 200m backstroke, debutante Julia Yeo broke Tao Li’s 2009 record of 2:17.12sec with a 2:16.51 swim, finishing fourth.
The 14-year-old had expected to break only the national Under-17 record of 2:17.55 and was pleasantly surprised to find out she had also eclipsed the senior record as well.
She said: “I’m shocked, honestly. It’s been a very long season. I’ve been training and competing since the start of the year, so I’m glad that I’ve finally done my last 200m backstroke of the year and smashed the record as well.
“I’m disappointed that I missed out on a medal by a bit but I’m glad my hard work paid off. Leading up to the SEA Games, I’ve been training nine sessions a week so it’s very tiring. Now that I’ve finally finished, I just feel so relieved.
“It’s been very fun, but also very scary and nerve-racking at the same time. It’s very exciting to swim in a final like this.”
Shortly after Julia’s feat, another debutant Russel Pang clocked 15:28.46 to rewrite the men’s 1,500m freestyle national record and take bronze. The previous record of 15:30.87 was set by Glen Lim at the 2019 SEA Games.
Russel, 15, said: “We ended up following the plan of following the leader for as long as I can before I start to fade. It paid off very well as I did a new personal best.
“It feels great to know that all the work that I put in for the past year training for this event actually paid off and I was rewarded with a bronze medal and a national record, which I’m very proud of.
“It means a lot to me as it opens many doors to what can happen in the future and hopefully there’s more of this to come.”
In the final event of the night, the team of Quah Zheng Wen, Chan Chun Ho, Jonathan Tan and Mikkel Lee clocked 3:38.47 to extend Singapore’s six-time winning streak in the men’s 4x100m medley relay.
It was the perfect birthday celebration for Lee as he clinched his third gold in Bangkok. Crediting his teammates, he said: “It’s thanks to these guys man, they made my life easy. I just needed to jump in and bring us home.”
For Quah, he was pleased to win his first gold of the Games after two individual silvers and a bronze.
He said: “How you move on from the previous days makes or breaks the athlete. I’m glad I was able to leave it all out there for these guys and set them up well to finish the rest of the relay.
“For myself, this was my fresh 100m back compared to the first day when I had it after the 100m free and it gives me that extra get back that I went faster than the winning time.
“Obviously we come in with some sort of pressure. We’ve been very good at this relay for many years now. But the important thing for myself and all these guys is to remember to support each other and have fun. That’s how we really bring out the best races in each other and that’s exactly what we did today.”
He also commended Julia and Russel on their achievements, adding: “They’re on a good path and I just want to give them a word of encouragement. Stay the course, there’s more to come and just remember to keep enjoying yourself and pushing yourself always.”
The 33rd SEA Games are held in Thailand from 9 to 20 December 2025. 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.