Gan mulling over long-term swimming future

After clocking thousands of kilometers in the pool and posting the quickest times in Singapore in the women's 400m, 800m and 1,500m freestyle, national swimmer Gan Ching Hwee is considering her future in the sport.

- David Lee

While the Dec 9-20 SEA Games in Thailand and the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya are in her sights, she told The Straits Times that she is undecided about committing to another Olympic qualifying campaign for Los Angeles 2028.

The 22-year-old said: "I'm at a crossroads of how far I want to take my swimming.

"After swimming so many years, I really still enjoy the sport a lot, but I also want to progress in other parts of my life, like my studies."

The high-flier graduated from Indiana University in May with a nutrition science degree and a perfect grade point average (GPA) of 4.0 to share the Dean's Recognition Award for students with the highest GPA.

After a full three-month block of training, she was Singapore's top performer and only finalist at the World Aquatics Championships (WCH) in home waters.

She finished seventh in the 1,500m final as the second-fastest Asian behind China's Li Bingjie after setting a national record of 16min 1.29sec in the heats, with another national record through her 800m split of 8:29.93. She was also placed 13th in both the 400m (4:09.81) and 800m (8:31.36) heats.