'Unwavering belief': The long-time coach pushing Singapore star swimmer Gan Ching Hwee to new heights - CNA
Gan Ching Hwee smashed three national records at the 2026 Asian Games, taking silver in her events. Her long-time coach Eugene Chia spoke to CNA about their journey so far.
Eugene Chia and Gan Ching Hwee at the 2026 Asian Games. (Photo: Eugene Chia)
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Matthew Mohan 26 Sep 2026 06:00AM (Updated: 26 Sep 2026 06:46AM) Bookmark Bookmark Share WhatsApp Telegram Facebook Twitter Email LinkedIn Set CNA as your preferred source on Google Add CNA as a trusted source to help Google better understand and surface our content in search results. Read a summary of this article on FAST. Get bite-sized news via a newcards interface. Give it a try. Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST FAST TOKYO: At a swim camp more than a decade ago, Eugene Chia first noticed an 11-year-old who stood out from her peers.
She was neither stronger nor faster than the other swimmers, but Gan Ching Hwee's technique was exemplary.
“I didn’t know who she was at the time,” Chia told CNA. “Her stroke was good, and it is very rare to find a swimmer with a very high elbow catch (swimming technique).”
Months later, Chia became Gan's coach - and the rest is history.
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 On Friday (Sep 25), the 23-year-old concluded her Asian Games campaign with three silvers and three new national records, in the 400m, 800m and 1,500m freestyle events.
Before Gan's feats, the last Singaporean woman to claim an individual Games medal in swimming was Roanne Ho, who took silver in the 50m breaststroke in 2018.
Chia said he was really proud to have been part of Gan's journey so far.
“In any sport, it is rare to find an athlete willing to stay with a coach for that amount of time, giving me the chance to develop her," he told CNA.
