TOH HOPES 11-GOLD TALLY CAN INSPIRE

It's also been Il years since first APG for para-swimmer whose main focus is 2028 Paralympics

- David Lee Senior Sports Correspondent

Singapore's Toh Wei Soong celebrating his gold medals in the men's 50m butterfly and freestyle S7 events at the Asean Para Games in Korat, Thailand, on Jan 24. The veteran para-swimmer had also won the men's 100m freestyle S7 race earlier, making it the third time he has completed a hat-trick of gold medals across four Games.

(PHOTO: SPORTSG)

Only 17 when he made a splash at the Asean Para Games (APG) on home soil in 2015, Toh Wei Soong is not letting up in his Ilth year competing in the event, as the Singapore swimmer claimed his 10th and Ilth gold medals on Jan 24.

At the Nakhon Ratchasima Sports Complex in Korat, Thailand, the 27-year-old won the men's 50m butterfly S7 final in 31.14sec, ahead of Indonesia's Abdil Majid Rahman (31.55) and Filipino Ernie Gawilan (35.38).

About an hour later, he returned to the pool to beat Abdil in another tight race in the 50m freestyle S7 final, touching the wall first in 29.26sec, as the Indonesian (29.51) and Thailand's Kaweewat Sittichai-phonniti (34.02) claimed the other podium spots.

Earlier in the week, the veteran swimmer clinched a men's 100m freestyle S7 gold, 400m freestyle S7 silver and 100m backstroke S7-S8 bronze. Notably, this is the third time he has completed a hat-trick of gold medals across four Games - he also did so in his debut in 2015, and in Cambodia in 2023.