Swimmer Tang Cheng-Yao, 96, wows the crowd at the World Aquatics Masters Championships
Tang Cheng-Yao (left), 96, is the oldest female participant at the World Aquatics Masters competition in Singapore. On her right is Argentina swimmer Elena Placci, 90.
SINGAPORE – For nearly five minutes, Taiwanese swimmer Tang Cheng-yao commanded the attention of an entire arena at the World Aquatics Masters Championships.
On Aug 10, about 150 competitors, officials, family and friends were on their feet at the WCH Arena, the cheers and applause thunderous as they shouted words of encouragement to the 96-year-old swimmer.
Partially blind in her right eye and deaf in her left ear, the nonagenarian was the oldest female competitor at the July 26-Aug 22 championships.
She was the only swimmer in the 50m and 200m freestyle and the 50m, 100m and 200m breaststroke events (95-99 age group), and even set a championship record of 12 minutes 54.04 seconds in the 200m breaststroke on Aug 12.
Though records are not what Tang aims for, as being in the pool gives her happiness and keeps the doctor away.
Speaking via a translator, Tang, who was born in Anhui, China, said: 'Swimming makes me rarely sick. But my swimming journey has seen countless battles. In my youth, I swam with great energy, but now, at 96, I am slower.
'At such an advanced age, some have already given up… yet here I am, still swimming. But of course, after swimming, it's either sore here or painful there.'
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore Over 100 people being investigated for vape offences, say MOH and HSA
Singapore Bukit Merah fire: Residents relocated as town council carries out restoration works
Singapore askST: What to do in the event of a fire at home
Singapore Jalan Bukit Merah fire: PMD battery could have started fatal blaze, says SCDF
Singapore askST: What are the fire safety rules for PMDs?
Asia AirAsia flight from KL to Incheon lands at wrong airport in South Korea
Opinion Could telco consolidation spell the end of attractive mobile plans?
Singapore From quiet introvert to self-confident student: How this vulnerable, shy teen gets help to develop and discover her strength
Back home, Tang, who has two sons and two grandchildren, swims 400m every day though it takes a long time because 'I swim very slowly'.
In the winter when it gets too cold to swim, she goes on long walks.
She first learnt to swim when she was four, when her parents took her to the seaside in Shandong.
She credits her longevity in the pool to her Christian faith, adding: 'I just keep my body and mind well every day. I go to classes at church as a small group, and I live joyfully. My religion comforts me and I don't burden myself with worries, and that's why I can focus on what I like to do.'
Even as a century beckons for the 96-year-old, she plans to continue swimming and taking part in masters competitions.
She said: 'It all depends on whether God gives me time. If he lets me live, I will swim.'
Tang has enjoyed her time in Singapore, where she had celebrity-like status at the arena with multiple requests for photographs as fellow athletes and officials marvelled at her longevity in the sport.
Tang Cheng-Yao is 96 and is the oldest female participant at the World Aquatics Masters competition in Singapore.
PHOTO: SINGAPORE 2025
The fiercely independent swimmer also shared an anecdote about her arrival in Singapore, when staff at Changi Airport offered her a wheelchair as she disembarked from the plane.
She initially declined, turning to her 74-year-old son to ask why others assumed she needed one.
Tang said: 'Reluctantly, I complied but felt embarrassed, and I questioned my age constantly. My son assured me it was just company policy, and he said to me 'you can run, you don't need a wheelchair'.'
The July 26-Aug 22 World Aquatics Masters Championships will see about 6,000 athletes aged 25 and above from around 100 countries and territories competing in swimming, diving, water polo, artistic swimming, and open water swimming.
The swimming competition ran from Aug 7 to 14, with water polo and diving to be contested from Aug 16 to 22 and Aug 17 to 22 respectively.
Among the participants at the month-long event were others like Tang, who defied their ages by remaining active and competitive.
Japanese swimmer Kazuo Yasuda, the oldest male competitor at 97, is about four months older than Tang.
There was also Margaret Jopling, who at 90 made her overseas debut and swam in the 50m and 800m freestyle, 50m and 100m backstroke and 50m breaststroke.
Australian swimmer Margaret Jopling smiling after completing the 800m freestyle heats at the World Aquatics Masters Championships on Aug 7.
ST PHOTO: BRIAN TEO.
Jopling swims to stay mentally and physically fit, but more than that, she cherishes the friends she has made in the masters community and at her club, Port Macquarie Masters.
'I have always been competitive and I love being in the water,' said Jopling, who is single.
'My objective in a competition like this is to finish the race and not get disqualified. And yes it keeps me fit but I love that it keeps me in with all my friends. I live alone and I look forward to meeting them at swims. In Australia, we have social events, Christmas parties and those sorts.'
'I have enjoyed my time in Singapore and I hope to go to more masters events overseas after this.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Slot wowed by Liverpool late show in opening win over Bournemouth
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox LIVERPOOL, England - Liverpool kicked off the defence of their Premier League title in an entertaining 4-2 victory over Bournemouth on Friday, with manager Arne Slot bowled over by the atmosphere on an emotional Anfield evening as two late goals stole the show. "Do you have half an hour?" the Dutchman said laughing when asked to sum up a night that started with a tribute to their Portugal forward Diogo Jota, who died in a car crash last month. Liverpool talisman Mo Salah and substitute Federico Chiesa struck after Antoine Semenyo's double drew Bournemouth level. "Unbelievable atmosphere in the final minutes," Slot said. "I thought that winning the league here (last season) will always be more special than winning a home game against Bournemouth, but the last six or seven minutes - wow, wow, wow, wow. How impressive that was. "Three teams involved in a great game. Why three teams? Bournemouth and us playing full gas for 96 minutes, or even longer, 99 I think, and the referee (Anthony Taylor) who just kept the game going, didn't blow his whistle every single time for every small thing. "It was a great game to watch. In the end, we won it. So that helps for my emotions." Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World Trump-Putin direct talks over Ukraine conclude as summit stretches on Singapore Nowhere to run: Why Singapore needs to start protecting its coasts now Singapore Using nature, multi-use structures among solutions being studied to protect Singapore coastlines Singapore ICA to review Ong Beng Seng's PR status after he is fined for abetting obstruction of justice Singapore HSA evaluating rapid urine test kits to enable faster detection of etomidate, found in Kpods Singapore Drug trafficker gets death sentence commuted after President Tharman grants clemency Opinion Revitalise nightlife? Let's get the crowds out first However, the overriding emotion on the night, Slot said, was how "impressive and powerful the tribute for Jota was." TOUCHING MOMENTS There were numerous touching moments at Anfield in honour of the Liverpool forward and his brother Andre Silva, who also died in the incident in northern Spain in July. "They sang for him (Jota) before the game, in the first minute, after 20 minutes, and again at the end. It was so impressive, so powerful," Slot said. "His wife is here, his children are here, and for them it might be special to hear how much he's loved over here." Scoring hero Chiesa, whose future at the club has been the subject of speculation, delivered a performance that felt like a gift to the fans who have sung his name since last season. "He gave them something in return," Slot said. The one negative for Liverpool was their defensive frailty, with Semenyo twice capitalising on the Reds' loose back line. "Normally, you can complain about our players not sprinting back hard enough, but they did," Slot said. "The only thing we need to do better, but that's in an ideal world, is where do you lose a ball? The best way is not to lose a ball. And if you do ... lose it with a shot, or it ends up in a corner kick or a goal kick, but don't lose it at your own 18-yard line. "But I always judge, how hard do they sprint back? And in both situations, they sprinted back really hard." REUTERS
Straits Times
4 hours ago
- Straits Times
Liverpool match halted after Bournemouth's Semenyo reports racist abuse from crowd
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox LIVERPOOL, England - Liverpool's Premier League season-opening match against Bournemouth on Friday was briefly halted after visiting forward Antoine Semenyo reported getting racist abuse from the crowd. Referee Anthony Taylor stopped play at a Liverpool corner in the 29th minute to address the incident, summoning both managers to the touchline for a briefing. Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk and Bournemouth counterpart Adam Smith were then called over to the benches for further instructions before play resumed four minutes later. Following halftime, an anti-discrimination message was read out to the crowd at Anfield. Semenyo, 25, went on to score twice after play resumed, helping his side to briefly level the score before Liverpool secured a 4-2 victory with a late surge. "We're very concerned about the allegation of discrimination from an area of the crowd," the FA said in a statement. "Incidents of this nature have no place in our game, and we will work closely with the match officials, the clubs, and the relevant authorities to establish the facts and ensure that the appropriate action is taken. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World Putin, Trump discuss fate of Ukraine as summit gets under way in Alaska Singapore Nowhere to run: Why Singapore needs to start protecting its coasts now Singapore Using nature, multi-use structures among solutions being studied to protect Singapore coastlines Singapore ICA to review Ong Beng Seng's PR status after he is fined for abetting obstruction of justice Singapore HSA evaluating rapid urine test kits to enable faster detection of etomidate, found in Kpods Singapore Drug trafficker gets death sentence commuted after President Tharman grants clemency Opinion Revitalise nightlife? Let's get the crowds out first Liverpool coach Arne Slot was upset about the incident. "It is clear that we do not want this in football," he said. "We definitely don't want this at Anfield ... This should never happen in football, let alone at Anfield. Bournemouth coach Andoni Iraola added: "Straight away, Antoine and the referee told us. The person has been identified. "It's a big shame that these things keep happening. It's the first game of the season, a lovely game of football, and I have to speak about these things happening." The incident at Anfield follows reports of Tottenham Hotspur's French forward Mathys Tel being subjected to racist abuse on social media after missing a penalty in his team's Super Cup defeat by Paris St Germain on Wednesday. REUTERS
Straits Times
4 hours ago
- Straits Times
Late Mo Salah, Federico Chiesa goals give Liverpool 4-2 win in thrilling season opener
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox LIVERPOOL, England - Liverpool talisman Mo Salah and fellow forward Federico Chiesa struck late goals as the Premier League champions began the defence of their title by beating Bournemouth 4-2 in a thriller on the opening night of the season at Anfield on Aug 15. On a bittersweet evening charged with emotion after the July death of Liverpool forward Diogo Jota, newcomer Hugo Ekitike bagged a goal on his league debut to put the hosts ahead after 37 minutes and Cody Gakpo doubled the lead in the 49th. But Antoine Semenyo, who was the target of racist abuse in the first half that led to a pause in the game, pulled one back for the visitors in the 64th minute and completed a double 12 minutes later to rock Liverpool and shock the home fans. However, substitute Chiesa sent the Liverpool faithful away happy with an 88th-minute strike after goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic swatted away a ball into the box by Salah, who scored himself deep into added time to wrap up the three points. Salah chased the ball past the defence before cutting inside and firing into the bottom corner with a goal that put the Egypt international joint-fourth with Andy Cole on the all-time Premier League scorers' list with 187. An emotional Salah pointed to the heavens and flapped two hands to mimic Jota's shark goal celebration. He headed for The Kop stand after the final whistle, and wiped away tears while applauding the fans who were singing Jota's song to the tune of Bad Moon Rising. The night started with an emotional minute's silence for Jota and his brother Andre Silva, who died in a car crash. Fans fought back tears as they sang You'll Never Walk Alone. Ekitike, who has joined from Eintracht Frankfurt, was the most impressive of manager Arne Slot's close-season signings in a spending spree topping £300 million (S$500 million). 'Obviously I think it was a good performance, I could do better,' said Ekitike - who held up two fingers in one hand, and made a zero with the other in a tribute to Liverpool's Jota, who wore number 20 - after his goal. 'But the most important thing was winning, the mentality we showed. Obviously, we wanted to win tonight for the people who came and for Diogo,' added the 23-year-old forward. The game was halted for several minutes after Bournemouth's Ghana international Semenyo reported the racist abuse. 'It's totally unacceptable,' Bournemouth captain Adam Smith said. 'Kind of in shock to be honest that it happened. In this day and age it shouldn't be happening. 'I don't know how Ant's played on to be honest and come up with those goals... Something has to be done. We'll support him in there and hopefully he'll be ok.' REUTERS
