SOON COMES FULL CIRCLE

Ten years after her para debut at OCBC Aquatic Centre, she's back for world c'ships

- Kimberly Kwek Sports Correspondent

It still comes as a surprise to national para-swimmer Sophie Soon whenever strangers approach her.

Sometimes the conversations revolve around her guide dog Orinda. On other occasions, they offer encouragement after learning about her on television programmes or reading about her in the news.

It may never be something the 28-year-old fully gets used to, but she welcomes them as those moments represent more than just personal recognition - they also signal how much support for para-sport has grown over the past decade.

She said: "I'm very appreciative that people have taken interest in my story, not just myself but my teammates as well, recognising us in public and making the effort to come up to congratulate us or wish us all the best...

"But, on the flip side of that, I look at that as how far our Paralympic movement has gone and how far our outreach efforts have gone, which is incredible."

For Soon, who has a visual impairment, the shift is a reminder of how much things have changed since she made her Asean Para Games (APG) debut at the OCBC Aquatic Centre in 2015.

Back then, she was an unheralded teenager with a point to prove.

Ten years later, as she prepares to race at the Sept 21-27 Toyota World Para Swimming Championships at the same venue, she feels her career has come full circle.