FIND YOUR INSPIRATION IN WATER

Singapore's inaugural hosting of the event offers potential for a long-lasting legacy

- David Lee

Singaporean swimmer Gan Ching Hwee still remembers the time she shared the pool with long-distance legend Katie Ledecky, winner of nine Olympic golds and 21 world championship titles.

It was in 2022 at the Swimming World Cup in Indianapolis, where they both competed in the women's 800m freestyle final and the American set a new short-course world record of 7min 57.42sec.

Then 19, Gan did not fare too badly, clocking an 8:22.91 national mark.

Quoting author Napoleon Hill, she summed up that awe-inspiring encounter and Ledecky's prowess: "Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve."

She added: "I was in the lane closest to all the spectators and I could feel the sound travelling through the water. That gave me quite a bit of boost and a greater sense of purpose finishing that race, because I knew something special was happening from the energy from the crowd.

"At the same time, being so close in proximity to someone so great lets me see that they are also just another human being and it's all in the mind, to believe that you can achieve what you want to accomplish."

Motivated by that race with her idol, Gan went on to earn a spot at the 2024 Paris Olympics and set two national records in the 800m (8:32.37) and 1,500m (16:10.13).

As Gan will attest to, there is nothing like witnessing greatness up close.

And Singaporeans have had a front-row seat to some of the world's biggest sporting events.

Among the highlights are the inaugural 2010 Youth Olympic Games (YOG), premier golf event the HSBC Women's World Championship (17 times), 15 Formula One races, five Women's Tennis Association Finals and four editions of table tennis' Singapore Smash, plus regional events like the 2015 SEA Games.