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Straits Times
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
World Para Swimming Championships will be held at OCBC Aquatic Centre instead of new WCH Arena
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox (From left) Para swimming coach Mick Massey, para-swimmer Yip Pin Xiu, former national para-swimmer Theresa Goh and former national water polo player Yip Ren Kai at the World Para Swimming Championships' partners appreciation event on Aug 19. SINGAPORE – At the recent World Aquatics Championships (WCH) in Singapore, three world records and 12 meet records in swimming were broken at the new 4,800-seat WCH Arena, which saw sold-out crowds on some nights. The Sept 21-27 World Para Swimming Championships will instead be held at the 3,000-capacity OCBC Aquatic Centre, as the WCH Arena is not wheelchair-accessible for athletes, The Straits Times understands. While Singapore's seven-gold Paralympian Yip Pin Xiu declined comment, former Paralympic bronze medallist swimmer and world record holder Theresa Goh, 38, felt that 'it would have been nice' for the upcoming meet to be held at the WCH Arena too, but believes that there are 'limitations'. She said: 'It depends on how the public views it. If you say, 'Oh, wow, World Aquatics (Championships) was held at the new pool, then would you expect that World Para would be also at the new pool? If yes, then there would be a difference, because then it's like, 'how come they're not at the new pool?' 'But no complaints, the Aquatic Centre is really nice, still also a world-class facility and familiar for the people who came here for the para swimming world series … They know what to expect, maybe it's a blessing in disguise .' Goh believes the organisers did consider the new arena, adding: 'But limitations are such when there's a time crunch. And I think there were some Building and Construction Authority (issues) and they had some roadblocks .' ST had reported in July 2024 that the WCH was expected to cost the hosts about US$100 million (S$128.4 million) – a 41 to 49 per cent increase from the preliminary planning budget of $90 million to $95 million, an estimate that did not fully factor in sponsorship fees. The WCH Arena, which was built on a carpark near the Kallang Tennis Hub , took about six months to be completed. In response to ST's queries on the choice of venue, a World Para Swimming Championships organising committee spokesperson said that the OCBC Aquatic Centre , also the national training centre for Singapore's aquatics athletes, is a world-class facility that fully meets the meet's requirements. The spokesperson added: 'Having previously hosted international para swimming events, the venue will give our athletes a boost as they compete against the world's best para swimmers in familiar surroundings. 'Given its suitability and capacity to accommodate the expected number of athletes and spectators, the OCBC Aquatic Centre provides the ideal stage for the Toyota World Para Swimming Championships.'
Straits Times
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
S'pore paralympic swimming medallist Theresa Goh makes sporting comeback with shooting
Former national para-swimmer Theresa Goh is back competing in shooting after coming out of retirement. ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO SINGAPORE – Lining up at the Changwon International Shooting Range earlier in June, Theresa Goh felt the adrenaline surge, her heart racing and her mind pulling in another direction as she worked to bring it back. She was competing at the Changwon 2025 World Shooting Para Sport World Cup – her first international outing as a shooter – but the rush was anything but unfamiliar. These were sensations Goh had grown accustomed to after two decades of competing in the pool. Born with spina bifida – a condition in which the spine and spinal cord do not form properly – Goh went on to become Singapore's first female Paralympic swimmer at Athens 2004, the country's first swimming world champion in 2006, a world-record holder and a Paralympic bronze medallist at Rio de Janeiro 2016. Since retiring from swimming in 2019, Goh's life has taken on a different rhythm, giving her the time to explore interests like cooking, baking and gaming. While her return to the competitive arena came after a six-year break, it felt like a space she understood. The 38-year-old said: 'I didn't really realise how much I enjoyed the competitive aspect of it until I did my shoot. The adrenaline was there but then also I couldn't let it overrun because then my hand would shake. It's about how do I balance that. 'There's the heart racing and realising my brain is thinking one way and how do I bring it back, all the different things I never really had to place in a sporting context in such a long time.' At her debut, she finished 20th out of 24 with a score of 523 in the women's 10m air pistol SH1 event, clearing the qualifying mark for the Asean Para Games in Thailand in January 2026. She has enjoyed the journey so far, being part of a team again and settling into a structured routine. Though some aspects feel reminiscent of her past, Goh is mindful that this is still new territory, one she did not expect to revisit after hanging up her goggles. Goh, a pathway and performance manager at the Singapore Disability Sports Council, said: 'It was really nice to be retired after swimming... I really enjoyed the freedom and just not having to think about schedules so much or blocking out a certain period of my week for something. 'But at some point, early to mid-last year, I was starting to feel a bit lost, listless in certain aspects of my life.' She then came across a local modern pentathlon event in July 2024 that involved running and laser shooting and signed up for it. Although she was the last to arrive for the shooting leg, she was among the first to leave as she performed creditably, piquing her curiosity whether there was something worth exploring further. By October, she had begun training, though she was still weighing whether this was the path she wanted to take. Theresa Goh began to explore the idea of competing in shooting after taking part in a modern pentathlon event in July 2024. ST PHOTO: GAVIN FOO The support she received made a big difference. After just a few sessions, her coach Pheong Siew Shya passed her shooting glasses and a pellet box. Daniel Chan, Singapore's first shooter at the Paralympics, also lent Goh the gun that he used at the 2024 Paris Games. She said: 'It's been quite good, fun and I find myself always comparing it to swimming like at this point when I started swimming, how did I feel? It's interesting just being able to play a new game in a different way.' Pheong, a former national shooter, praised Goh's determination and discipline, noting that she has improved her understanding of the shooting process but still needs to work on her fundamentals. Nonetheless, Pheong was impressed by Goh's performance in Changwon, where she exceeded expectations by registering a personal best – 15 points higher than her previous mark. Pheong said: 'Her mental resilience and determination have inspired the team to believe that anything is possible. It gave the team a shot in the arm.' Sport has always held a magnetic pull for Goh, who also took up shot put around the same time as shooting and had dabbled in powerlifting during a break from swimming after the 2008 Beijing Paralympics. On what drives her to pursue different sports, she reflected: 'The act of learning something, being better at something, and then to the point of potentially mastering it, I like the idea of it.' She added: 'For me, it's always been about the environment. I've always mostly enjoyed (swimming) training because of the people around. I see it now in shooting – it's hard to say no because the people are so welcoming, I like their company and the environment's good.' She has also drawn on lessons from her swimming career, but remains cautious about assuming that the same approach will apply. She just wants to make sure that she enjoys the process. Having qualified for the Asean Para Games, Goh admits she is still working out what her goals may be, although making a return to the Paralympics has crossed her mind. ' I bought into the idea that once I was done with my swimming career, that's it. I've achieved what I needed and I can close my career. Many people have that self-placed barrier on themselves like this is as far as I can go. I want to see how far I can go,' she said. 'The main goal, if I can speak it into the world is, I do hope to achieve a similar success to my swimming. To get to the Paralympic Games would be quite nice. If I can, I can. If not, no problem. ' It seemed almost poetic that after this interview, as Goh posed for photographs beside a mural celebrating Singapore's athletes outside the High Performance Sport Institute gym, she found herself positioned next to a picture from her swimming days, a bridge between past and present. With her legacy already woven into the fabric of the nation's sporting history, she is now writing a new chapter in an already storied career. Kimberly Kwek joined The Straits Times in 2019 as a sports journalist and has since covered a wide array of sports, including golf and sailing. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
CNA
18-06-2025
- Sport
- CNA
'I want to see what my limits are': Retired Paralympian swimmer Theresa Goh is back in a new sport
SINGAPORE: Imagine a person as a cupboard with many drawers, each holding its own items. For most of us, the one labelled "work" is typically filled to the brim. For others, it might be "study", "hobbies" or "family" that is packed. There are also compartments which were once overflowing, but now left open. Such is the case for Theresa Goh, a retired swimmer, 2016 Paralympic bronze medallist and history-maker. She was Singapore's first female swimmer to qualify for the Paralympics, Singapore's first swimming world champion and remains Singapore's most bemedalled athlete at the Asean Para Games (APG). The 38-year-old retired from competitive swimming in 2019. While there was a sense of relief in being a "normal" person once again, Goh has in recent times felt something else – restlessness. There was one aspect of her life, one drawer, that lacked purpose. "I feel like work is very purposeful, and I feel fulfilled in the things that I do most of the time. (But) sometimes (there is also that) wondering, 'is there anything else I want to do more?'" she told CNA. Goh is a pathway and performance manager at the Singapore Disability Sports Council. "I think there's just something else (to life) besides work and social life ... Maybe it's that I was part of a sport for so long that it was just another piece of me." And so, six years after hanging up her googles, Goh is back representing Singapore again - this time in the sport of shooting. "THE VIBES ARE GOOD" It was at a local event organised by Singapore's pentathlon body in July last year where Goh discovered her aptitude for shooting. Modern pentathlon typically involves fencing, shooting, swimming, riding and cross-country riding, but this particular event had both running and laser shooting. "Everyone was running, so when they ran, they were all faster than me," she recalled. "I was the last to reach (the shooting table), but I was the first or second to leave." Various other "chance encounters" subsequently further ignited Goh's interest in the sport. "I found it's so much easier when you take to a sport and you do not too bad at it," she said. As someone who enjoys picking up new skills, shooting appealed to her. "I like learning. Learning new things and learning new techniques and knowing that there's better and more to do; more progress to be made. I like the idea of that," she said, "I like knowing that this is new and I can get better at it, and seeing the progress." Goh started training proper in October last year. She now trains twice a week, and often has to shuttle between the range in Yishun and her home in Tampines, a journey of close to two hours. "The culture and the feel of the people at the shooting range, it also helps. They're all so friendly, so helpful, and the vibes are good," she said. "I can do really well in the sport, but then if I don't like being at training where the people are, then it's not going to matter because I'm going to dread going to training." "HOW FAR CAN I GO?" While swimming and shooting are drastically different, Goh believes that her former sport has provided a base to build on. "I'm glad I started swimming, because it really encompassed a lot of the basic requirements that I need for some of the other sports," she said, "Swimming is not just physical. It's stamina, it's power, it's mental, it's everything that I needed ... now I have that foundation that I can use for shooting." But having dedicated much of her life to swimming, it felt "a bit weird" to get into a new sport, admitted Goh, who has also started training for yet another discipline - shot put. There are times she wonders if people might think she's "betraying" swimming. She has also questioned her choice to go through the rigour of competitive sport again. "I also then wonder - I've been at the top and I've got a Paralympic medal, why am I still doing this?" she added. Goh also shared how stress affected her during early competitions. Where nerves in swimming can be channeled into the pool, it is not the case with shooting, where the tiniest change to how one pulls a trigger can make a difference. "At the start I did a couple of local competitions, and I got so nervous that I was perspiring in an air-conditioned range, and I could feel myself just getting very warm, my heart rate just increasing," she said. "I realised the same level of nervousness that I can (use in) swimming, I can't really use it in shooting, because it might make me shake too much." But what drives Goh is to see what she is capable of. "Why do we have to limit ourselves so much? I want to see how much I can do. What can I do? How far can I go?" she said. "And that doesn't stop just because I've reached a certain level in another sport, you know? I want to see what my limits are." TAKING IT STEP BY STEP That was how she found herself at her first overseas competition - the World Shooting Para Sport World Cup in Changwon, South Korea - last month. It was a strange feeling, Goh said, not the least because of her International Paralympic Council (IPC) athlete licence number. She first registered with IPC more than two decades ago, so her number was much smaller compared to her peers and opponents. When it came to the meet itself, what helped Goh was the ability to apply some relaxation techniques picked up from the pool. "I was nervous, because it's been a couple of years since I've been in any kind of competitive environment," she said, adding that she calmed herself with the reminder that "it's not the end of the world if it's a bad shot". View this post on Instagram A post shared by Singapore Disability Sports Council (@sdsc) Goh also realised how much she missed being able to compete. "I do a little bit better in competition than in training. And the score was better than I've ever done in training," she added. While she did not make the finals of the competition, the Singaporean registered a personal best score and met the qualifying standard for the APG. The idea is to take things step by step, said Goh. Her goal is to eventually clinch a medal at future editions of the APG. At the same time, she hopes she will not lose this newfound passion for shooting. "At the start of swimming, when it started getting much more stressful, I think there was too much pressure," she said. "At a certain point in my career in swimming, I did lose a little bit of that love for it. I'm trying to see how that doesn't happen (now), making sure I really enjoy my training, enjoy what I'm doing, and try not to same go down the same path in certain ways." Fundamentally, Goh just wants to test herself as best she can, whether in shooting or shot put. "I've always been quite inclined to sport and in whatever sport I find movement, I've always been quite good at it at a base level. (But) I also know that that's not enough to do well in competitive sport. So am I then willing to put in that extra bit to be more than good?" Goh said. "For now, I'm totally willing to do what I need to do while juggling work and also a bit of shot put at the side. I've definitely missed it enough to come back."
