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Biography
Impairment information
Type of Impairment
Spinal Cord Injuries
Origin of Impairment
Congenital
Classification
S5, SB4, SM5
Further personal information
Residence
Singapore, SGP
Occupation
Manager
Languages
Mandarin, English
Higher education
Sports Science - Temasek Polytechnic: Singapore
Sport specific information
When and where did you begin this sport?
She took up swimming at age five. She began competing at age 12 after being spotted by a sports volunteer at a public pool.
Why this sport?
She and her family would swim together at the weekends, and she liked the way she felt in the water. "It started as a form of rehabilitation. My parents wanted me to be active because, as a person who uses a wheelchair, they felt that having a form of physical activity was important. In Singapore, though, I think swimming as a sport came naturally because of how many pools there are. I particularly enjoy the water because it's the place where I feel the most free. I can go wherever I want; there's nothing that's stopping me. And that's very rare in this world for me, for people in wheelchairs or for people with mobility issues."
International debut
Year
1999
Competing for
Singapore
Location
Malaysia
General interest
Nicknames
TG (Athlete, 29 Dec 2010)
Hobbies
Reading, cats, tattoos. (Facebook page, 16 Aug 2019)
Memorable sporting achievement
Winning a bronze medal in the SB4 100m breaststroke at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (Athlete, 09 Sep 2019)
Most influential person in career
Her best friend, Pin Xiu. (Athlete, 09 Sep 2019)
Hero / Idol
Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe. (Athlete, 29 Dec 2010)
Injuries
She suffered a shoulder injury in December 2014 and underwent surgery. She returned to full fitness in March 2015. (sportsanity.com.sg, 04 Dec 2014; Athlete, 09 Sep 2019)
Sporting philosophy / motto
"Be kind, be yourself, be brave." (Athlete, 09 Sep 2019)
Awards and honours
In 2008 and 2016 she received the Public Service Star award in Singapore. (mccy.gov.sg, 07 Oct 2016)
In December 2014 she was named a Sports Excellence Scholar at the spexScholarship Awards Presentation Ceremony in Singapore. (sportsingapore.gov.sg, 02 Dec 2014)
In 2014 she was inducted into the Singapore Women's Hall of Fame. (Facebook page, 16 Mar 2015)
She was flag bearer for Singapore at the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games in 2008 and 2012. (paralympic.org, 29 Aug 2012; disstud.blogspot.com,16 Feb 2010)
She was the Singapore Disability Sports Council [SDSC] Sportswoman of the Year in three consecutive years from 2004 to 2006. (sscd.org, 16 May 2006)
She received the 2001 Sportsgirl Merit Award from the SDSC, and was also named Sportsgirl of the Year in 2002 and 2003. (tumblr.com, 01 Jan 2008)
In December 2014 she was named a Sports Excellence Scholar at the spexScholarship Awards Presentation Ceremony in Singapore. (sportsingapore.gov.sg, 02 Dec 2014)
In 2014 she was inducted into the Singapore Women's Hall of Fame. (Facebook page, 16 Mar 2015)
She was flag bearer for Singapore at the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games in 2008 and 2012. (paralympic.org, 29 Aug 2012; disstud.blogspot.com,16 Feb 2010)
She was the Singapore Disability Sports Council [SDSC] Sportswoman of the Year in three consecutive years from 2004 to 2006. (sscd.org, 16 May 2006)
She received the 2001 Sportsgirl Merit Award from the SDSC, and was also named Sportsgirl of the Year in 2002 and 2003. (tumblr.com, 01 Jan 2008)
Other sports
She has competed in powerlifting and won a bronze medal in the sport at the 2009 Arafura Games in Australia. (straitstimes.com, 28 Nov 2014; Athlete, 12 Jan 2011)
Milestones
She became the first female athlete from Singapore to compete in swimming at the Paralympic Games when she participated at the 2004 Games in Athens. (SportsDeskOnline, 23 Aug 2019; todayonline.com, 12 Sep 2016)
Ambitions
To become a swimming coach. (sisugirls.org, 25 May 2017)
Impairment
She was born with spina bifida, and is also deaf in one ear. (thenewsavvy.com, 15 Mar 2019; sisugirls.org, 25 May 2017; Athlete, 12 Jul 2015)
Other information
RETIREMENT
She announced her retirement from the sport on social media in September 2019. "Goodbyes are hard, but it's time and I'm ready. Twenty years of blood, sweat and tears have now come to an end. Was it worth it? Every single drop. Thank you to everyone who've been so supportive. It honestly turned out better than I ever dreamed. I am eternally grateful." (Facebook page, 16 Sep 2019; sg.news.yahoo.com, 16 Sep 2019; mothership.sg, 17 Sep 2019; tnp.sg, 17 Sep 2019)
OTHER ACTIVITIES
She is an advocate for 'Pink Dot', an annual event in Singapore that supports the LGBT community. "I feel strongly about women's rights and LGBT related issues. When I look at my news feed these are the things that are missing. I feel like I need to put some information out there so people are more aware of the issues. Sometimes people just need to read one thing to start changing their mindset." (thenewsavvy.com, 15 Mar 2019; outsports.com, 09 Jul 2017)
She announced her retirement from the sport on social media in September 2019. "Goodbyes are hard, but it's time and I'm ready. Twenty years of blood, sweat and tears have now come to an end. Was it worth it? Every single drop. Thank you to everyone who've been so supportive. It honestly turned out better than I ever dreamed. I am eternally grateful." (Facebook page, 16 Sep 2019; sg.news.yahoo.com, 16 Sep 2019; mothership.sg, 17 Sep 2019; tnp.sg, 17 Sep 2019)
OTHER ACTIVITIES
She is an advocate for 'Pink Dot', an annual event in Singapore that supports the LGBT community. "I feel strongly about women's rights and LGBT related issues. When I look at my news feed these are the things that are missing. I feel like I need to put some information out there so people are more aware of the issues. Sometimes people just need to read one thing to start changing their mindset." (thenewsavvy.com, 15 Mar 2019; outsports.com, 09 Jul 2017)
Results
| Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's 100 m Freestyle S5 | Heats | 10 | ||
| Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB4 | Final Round | 6 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's 100 m Freestyle S5 | Heat 2 | 3 | ||
| Women's 100 m Freestyle S5 | Final Round | 6 | ||
| Women's 200 m Freestyle S5 | Heat 1 | 2 | ||
| Women's 200 m Freestyle S5 | Final Round | 4 | ||
| Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB4 | Heat 2 | 2 | ||
| Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB4 | Final Round | 4 | ||
| Women's 50 m Freestyle S5 | Heat 2 | 7 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's 100 m Freestyle S5 | Heat 2 | 2 | ||
| Women's 100 m Freestyle S5 | Final Round | 7 | ||
| Women's 50 m Butterfly S5 | Heat 1 | 4 | ||
| Women's 50 m Freestyle S5 | Heat 1 | 5 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's 50 m Freestyle S5 | Final Round | 6 | ||
| Women's 50 m Freestyle S5 | Heats | 6 | ||
| Women's 50 m Butterfly S5 | Final Round | 4 | ||
| Women's 50 m Backstroke S5 | Heats | 10 | ||
| Women's 200 m Individual Medley SM5 | Final Round | 1 | ||
| Women's 200 m Freestyle S5 | Final Round | 6 | ||
| Women's 200 m Freestyle S5 | Heats | 5 | ||
| Women's 100 m Freestyle S5 | Final Round | 5 | ||
| Women's 100 m Freestyle S5 | Heats | 5 | ||
| Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB4 | Final Round | 2 | ||
| Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB4 | Heats | 1 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's 50 m Freestyle S5 | Heat 2 | 2012-08-30 | 5 | |
| Women's 100 m Freestyle S5 | Heat 2 | 2012-09-08 | 6 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB4 | Heat 1 | 2013-08-13 | 7 | |
| Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB4 | Final 1 | 2013-08-13 | 7 | |
| Women's 50 m Backstroke S5 | Heat 1 | 2013-08-14 | 13 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's 50 m Backstroke S5 | Heat 2 | 2015-07-13 | 9999 | |
| Women's 50 m Freestyle S5 | Heat 2 | 2015-07-17 | 10 | |
| Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB4 | Final 1 | 2015-07-18 | 5 | |
| Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB4 | Heat 1 | 2015-07-18 | 5 | |
| Women's 100 m Freestyle S5 | Heat 1 | 2015-07-19 | 12 |
| Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's 200 m Freestyle S5 | Heat 1 | 2016-09-08 | 6 | |
| Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB4 | Heat 2 | 2016-09-11 | 2 | |
| Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB4 | Final Round | 2016-09-11 | 3 | |
| Women's 50 m Freestyle S5 | Heat 1 | 2016-09-12 | 7 | |
| Women's 100 m Freestyle S5 | Heat 1 | 2016-09-17 | 6 |