New Swimming Coach Excited by Teen Talent

S'pore Aquatics' recent addition Ishimatsu says they can excel on international stage

- Kimberly Kwek

Ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games, Singapore Aquatics (SAQ) has scored a coup for its coaching team with the hiring of Masataka Ishimatsu, who was part of Japan's Olympic set-up from 2017 to 2025.

The 38-year-old has worked with some of Japan's most decorated swimmers, including two-gold former Olympic champion Yui Ohashi, Ryosuke Irie, who won three Olympic medals, and Akihiro Yamaguchi, a former world record holder in the 200m breaststroke.

At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Ohashi struck gold in the women's 200m and 400m individual medley events, while Irie claimed silvers in the men's 200m backstroke and 4x100m medley relay, along with a 100m back bronze at the 2012 London Games.

Ishimatsu will work alongside current National Training Centre (NTC) lead coaches Alexander Mordvincev and Gustavo Schirru to support national head coach Gary Tan.

On what made him take on the lead coach role, the Japanese said he has been following the progress of Singapore's swimming scene in recent years and was impressed by the team's presence and performance at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023.

In China, Teong Tzen Wei claimed the Republic's only swimming medal with a silver in the men's 50m butterfly, while the other swimmers finished fourth in 10 of the 41 events.

He said: "As a coach, I've always believed in the power of sport to bring about positive change, for individuals and for society.