Gan Ching Hwee claims Asian Games silver in 800m freestyle for third medal in Japan - CNA

The 23-year-old broke her own national record - set just days earlier - by more than three seconds.

Singapore's Gan Ching Hwee competes in final A of the women's 800m freestyle swimming event during the 2026 Asian Games at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre in Tokyo on Sep 25, 2026. (Photo: AFP/Andrew Caballero-Reynolds)

This audio is generated by an AI tool.

SINGAPORE: Swimmer Gan Ching Hwee clinched a silver medal in the women’s 800m freestyle final on Friday (Sep 25), winning her third medal for Singapore at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan.

She clocked a time of 8min 26.25sec, smashing her own national record by more than three seconds.

China's Li Bingjie won gold in 8min 24.02sec, while Japan's Ichika Kajimoto took bronze in 8min 27.37sec.

The 23-year-old stunned the field by seizing the lead from the start, and maintaining an advantage over favourite Li for much of the race.

CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less It was not until after the 700m mark of the race that Li went into the lead and widened the gap over Gan.