Singapore's youngest athlete makes debut against world's elite at just 14
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CNA
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Endo recalls unsuccessful Yokohama trial as he captains Liverpool against hometown club
Wataru Endo said he could not join Yokohama F Marinos after a trial at the J-League club years ago, after the Japan midfielder returned to his hometown side on Wednesday as a Liverpool player. It was the first time Endo played in the Liverpool shirt in his own country as the Premier League champions beat Yokohama 3-1 in a pre-season friendly. "I supported this club actually and I went to (a) trial but I couldn't join this club. Now I came back here as a player of (Liverpool). It was a dream-come-true moment," the 32-year-old told Liverpool's official website. "It was an amazing moment for me because I came back to Japan as a Liverpool player. For me, it meant a lot." Endo made his senior debut at Shonan Bellmare, a club based in Hiratsuka, over 30 kilometres away from Yokohama. He played for Bundesliga side VfB Stuttgart before joining Liverpool in 2023. Virgil van Dijk handed Endo the captain's armband as the latter replaced the Dutchman in the second half. "I think it was a great gesture. I think all Japanese people maybe wanted me to be captain," Endo added.
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Ainslee Kwang, 14, becomes first Singaporean diver to qualify for World Aquatics C'ships semi-final
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Ainslee Kwang competing in the preliminaries of the women's 10m platform at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore on July 30. SINGAPORE – It is her World Aquatics Championships (WCH) debut and 14-year-old Ainslee Kwang made sure it will be a one to remember by becoming the first Singaporean diver to qualify for the WCH semi-finals. In the preliminary round of the women's 10m platform on the morning of July 30, the Secondary 2 student from Methodist Girls' School finished 13th out of 37 with a personal best 285.00 points after five dives. Her previous PB was 284.75. Only the top 18 divers go through to the semi-finals on July 31 at the OCBC Aquatic Centre. China's Chen Yuxi was the top qualifier with 396.50 points, ahead of compatriot Xie Peiling (337.50) and North Korea's Jo Jin Mi (323.50). On her qualification, Ainslee said: 'Honestly, I was aiming for it, but I was never really confident about if I was going to (make it) or not. 'It hasn't struck me yet that I actually did so well, but at the same time, I'm nervous about whether I can keep up this standard. 'I'll try my best, but we'll see, because diving is really (unpredictable). You really don't know what's going to happen next. ' Her coach Charlie Tu called her semi-final qualification 'an incredible moment for all of us', adding: 'Ainslee's achievement is a testament to her hard work and the support from everyone around her. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Water supply issues during Toa Payoh blaze affected firefighting operations; SCDF investigating Singapore 3 taken to hospital after fire in Marsiling flat Singapore School, parents on alert after vape peddlers approach primary school pupil Singapore Tampines, Toa Payoh BTO flats most popular among first-time home buyers in July HDB launch Sport Leon Marchand sets first world record at World Aquatics C'ships in Singapore Singapore Jail, fine for man linked to case involving 3 bank accounts that received over $680m in total Singapore Provision shop owner who raped 11-year-old gets more than 14 years' jail Singapore Escape, discover, connect: Where new memories are made 'As her coach, I feel really proud and inspired because it shows that with dedication and the right guidance, our athletes can compete on the world stage. This milestone is not just hers, but a big win for the Singapore diving community.' Ainslee, who started swimming at six years old and took up diving a year later, hopes to maintain her consistency in the semi-finals, where only the top 12 will qualify for the evening's final. 'Competing at the world championships has been an incredible experience, and for the semi-finals, my goal is to stay consistent and execute each dive to the best of my ability ,' she added. 'Being on home ground helped settle my nerves, with the support of my family, friends, teammates and coaches making a big difference. 'My next goal is the SEA Games in December, where I hope to build on what I've learnt here and continue improving .' Matteo Santoro (left) and Chiara Pellacani of Italy in action during the World Aquatics Championships Mixed 3m Synchronised Diving finals held at the OCBC Aquatic Centre on July 30. ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG In the mixed 3m synchronised final in the evening, Italian duo Chiara Pellacani and Matteo Santoro came from behind to clinch the gold after a mistake in the fourth dive by China's Li Yajie and Cheng Zilong. The crowd roared straight after the Italians' fifth and final dive as their 308.13 total meant that they finished first, ahead of Australia's Maddison Keeney and Cassiel Rousseau (307.26) and the Chinese pair, who took the bronze with 305.70 points. This is the Italian pair's first gold after finishing second in 2022, third in 2023 and second again in 2024. Pellacani, who jumped onto Santoro and was screaming after their final dive, said: 'It feels incredible. We worked hard for this. We were trying to keep it calm during all the dives and we're very happy that we made it. 'I can't believe (it), we just started screaming (after the dive), because it was crazy just to see on the board that we were first... So it's just emotions that it's hard to describe.' There was confusion over the signal to start their fourth dive, which resulted in the Chinese pair dropping to second and eventually third after the final dive. Li said: 'We had some issues... When we were preparing to jump, we had already stepped out, and then the whistle was blown. 'There might have been a problem, maybe he (Cheng) didn't hear it, but I was the one calling the rhythm, and I did hear it. That might have had some impact and we were worried that if we jumped, they might not give us a score and might even give us zero.' Li added: 'I do have some regrets, but I don't think this will affect me too much. There will still be other competitions in the future. ' Singapore's Max Lee and Ashlee Tan (233.91) finished 12th out of 19. There was no preliminary round for this event, with all pairs proceeding straight to the final.
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Bins, vomit, headaches: Being a great swimmer often has a painful price
Luke Hobson, who won silver in the 200m freestyle, said he felt like he was about to explode after the race because of the effort he put in. The bin can't talk but it tells a terrific tale. It has a plastic bag inside and it sits on a chair. It is positioned at the bottom of a staircase, down which the swimmers come after a race. The bin at the world championships arena is simple and yet speaks a profound tale of effort, pain and limits. The bin, you see, is to vomit in. After he wins the 400m freestyle at the World Aquatics Championships, Germany's Lukas Martens has gone so hard that he throws up. He wins by 0.02 of a second and only because he gives everything. Lani Pallister knows the feeling. In the 1,500m at the Australian trials, when she touched home first, an official brought her a barf bag while she was still in the water. Yup, more vomit. After the gruelling 1,500m final, Pallister, who wins bronze, tells The Straits Times: 'I thought I was going to throw up from about 500m in.' She smiles, she didn't. There's a number that athletes swear by and reach for, a number that determines commitment, a number that in fact you can't truly measure. We've heard of 100 per cent, but what does it look like? It looks like Moesha Johnson of Australia, who swims the 10km, 5km, 3km, 4x1,500m relay in open water (two golds, one bronze), then does the 1,500m heats in the pool and when we meet it's after the 1,500m final. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Water supply issues during Toa Payoh blaze affected firefighting operations; SCDF investigating Singapore 3 taken to hospital after fire in Marsiling flat Singapore School, parents on alert after vape peddlers approach primary school pupil Singapore Tampines, Toa Payoh BTO flats most popular among first-time home buyers in July HDB launch Sport Leon Marchand sets first world record at World Aquatics C'ships in Singapore Singapore Jail, fine for man linked to case involving 3 bank accounts that received over $680m in total Singapore Provision shop owner who raped 11-year-old gets more than 14 years' jail Singapore Escape, discover, connect: Where new memories are made 'I'm feeling absolutely ruined,' she says. But is justifiably proud. After all that mileage, 22.5 furious kilometres, she's still sixth in the 1,500m. Johnson is a powerful portrait of an athlete at the limit. Her hands are trembling and I ask, is it the effort? 'Yeah. It's the effort, the exertion, the lactate, the fatigue, the adrenaline, everything.' This 100 per cent, you can't quite tell it, so it has to be explained. Like American Luke Hobson does, standing with his silver medal from the 200m freestyle, exhausted yet coherent. How do you feel at the end of the race? 'Like you're about to explode, legs, arms, just all the way through your core. Heart rate's up, head hurts. It's not the most comfortable thing ever, but I kind of like seeing how hard I can go and how much I can make it hurt.' Swimming isn't weightlifting with the veins in the neck bulging and it's not long-distance running with its grimacing faces. Only later in the media mixed zone, gulping for air like some oxygen-starved tribe, do you understand endeavour. Camouflaged by water and goggles, you see only smoothness, not the open water swimmers regurgitating feeds as they race. 'The amount of effort and exertion it takes is something that is unimaginable,' says Singapore's 10km swimmer Chantal Liew. 'Especially with open water, we're not just looking at the heat, but you're looking at competitors pummelling you from all sides, nerves, having to feed in the middle of that race, and it just got to a point where you're trying so hard and you're giving everything you got and in the middle of that race I was just vomiting.' No swimmer makes the Forbes richest athletes' list and few will ever get mobbed on a street. They're just explorers, investigating how fast they can traverse a stretch of water, obsessed with their contest with the clock. If they win, they receive medals they don't even look at later, yet they'll go every extra yard for it. Like Gregorio Paltrinieri, the Italian, who fractured a finger in a collision in the 10km, won silver, then swam two more races for two more silvers. Water is kinder to the body than land, but still swimmers are among sports' finer masochists. 'We train more than other athletes,' says Swiss Noe Ponti, and then adds, 'maybe gymnasts'. Greatness hurts, that is the deal, to the point where Pallister says, 'I think we're all addicted to that pain a little bit. And the adrenaline that comes with it'. The day after making her first world championships 1,500m final, a formidable feat, Singapore's Gan Ching Hwee speaks of this accepted suffering with eloquent matter-of-factness. In practice, she says, 'you're actually training your body to get used to the pain of racing so that when it comes it's not like a huge surprise'. When Gan started hurting, with 10 laps to go in her 1,500m heat, she just remembered her training, her endless repetitions, like her 14x150m set she did at race pace in June in Phuket. With every stroke a conversation with herself is unfolding: 'I've been there before. My body has been through that pain. You have to talk yourself through it.' Suffering is intrinsic to all sports, even shooting and chess, yet it's exhilarating to watch these athletes up close, pouring out their talent into the water, divided only by cruel margins. After her 1,500m final, Gan's head was throbbing and her ears ringing. 'Everything just slowly gives way,' she says. She'd emptied herself, she had nothing left to give. Not even to the bin.
