NEW COACH DIVES INTO CHALLENGE

S’pore Aquatics banks on Tu to win Asiad diving medals and spots at 2028 Olympics

- David Lee

The Tokyo Olympics in 2021 were historic for Singapore diving, with two athletes Jonathan Chan and Freida Lim-making their debuts.

But the Republic's divers will not feature in Paris 2024 and, in a bid for more breakthroughs at the Asian and world level, Singapore Aquatics has taken the plunge with a new national coach in Charlie Tu.

The Canadian-Chinese, 56, took over the reins from Li Peng, who was at the helm for six years.

Tu, who began his two-year contract in May, said: "I see great potential... I believe that through systematic training and scientific management, we can achieve significant breakthroughs in the coming years.

"Currently, the level of diving in Singapore is moderate within the Asian region.

"Although we do not have any athletes who have qualified for the Olympics yet, this does not mean our athletes lack potential.

"By introducing advanced training methods and increasing participation in international competitions, we can achieve breakthroughs at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics."

Also known as Tu Junhui, he had an impressive diving career in the 1980s.