Latest news with #WCH
Straits Times
14 hours ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Summer McIntosh frustrated to miss world mark despite claiming third title at 2025 World Aquatics C'ships
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Canada's Summer McIntosh won the women's 200m butterfly for her third title at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore. SINGAPORE – Even after producing yet another dominant performance to claim her third title of the World Aquatics Championships (WCH) in Singapore, Summer McIntosh's immediate reaction was not one of jubilation. Instead, the Canadian sensation looked visibly upset, covering her face with her hands after seeing her timing of 2min 1.99sec that won her the women's 200m butterfly final on July 31 at the WCH Arena. It was a personal best, championships and Americas record, but the 18-year-old's first thought was how she had just missed out on the all-time mark set in 2009 by China's Liu Zige – by just 0.18 of a second. She said: 'I'm happy with the three golds – that was the goal going in but my other goal tonight was to break the world record, which I often don't really say I'm focused on. 'But to see how close I was to breaking it and not getting it, I'm a little frustrated but I can't be too hard on myself. 'It's still a personal-best time and I'm dropping the time that I went just over a month ago, so I have to be decently happy with it.' The teenager led throughout and was barely threatened, finishing ahead of the United States' Regan Smith (2:04.99) and Australian Elizabeth Dekkers (2:06.12). China's 12-year-old prodigy Yu Zidi was fourth in 2:06.43. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore 'For one last time, let's go home': Tears, laughs as last scheduled Jetstar Asia flight touches down Singapore Over half of job applications by retrenched Jetstar Asia staff led to offers or interviews: CEO Singapore No entry: ICA to bar high-risk, undesirable travellers from boarding S'pore-bound ships, flights Singapore 5 foreign women suspected of trafficking 27kg of cocaine nabbed in Changi Airport Singapore Fallen tree branch damages two Yishun flats, showering one home owner in shattered glass Singapore Man accused of raping woman who hired him to fix lights in her flat claims she made first move Singapore 1 ticket wins $12.8 million Toto jackpot draw Singapore 'Switching careers just as I became a dad was risky, but I had to do it for my family' After her race, McIntosh, who won the 400m free and 200m medley events earlier in the week, told CBC Sports reporter Devin Heroux that 'it was so close and I know that last 15 metres I took an extra breath and I should've had my head down'. But coming close to the world record has only motivated the three-gold Olympic champion as she heads into her remaining events in Singapore – the 800m free and 400m individual medley. She said: 'Seeing how close I was gives me a lot of confidence. The way I felt in that final was amazing as well. I'm super, super excited for the 800m (free) and then of course the 400m individual medley. 'Now my focus is on getting a good recovery tonight and then getting ready for the heats tomorrow morning.' While McIntosh was disappointed to miss out on the world record, David Popovici was at ease about not meeting the men's 100m free all-time mark (46.40sec). But he did set a championship record with his winning effort of 46.51sec, ahead of American Jack Alexy (46.92sec) and Australia's Kyle Chalmers (47.17sec). The Romanian had been fourth at the turn, but powered home in the second 50m to take his second victory in Singapore, just two days after his 200m free win. The 20-year-old said: 'I'm happy that I've gotten closer to it, but this way I have something to... look forward to so that'll keep me alert going on.' Following his 200m free win, he shared that he had come close to pulling out of the Singapore meet, looking for flights back just days before competing. It has not been a straightforward journey for Popovici since he became an Olympic champion at the 2024 Paris Games, where he won the 200m free gold and 100m bronze. He said: 'I've been thinking of the Olympics every day ever since I was 10, no exaggeration. But once I did that, I came to the realisation that nothing huge changes, like my life doesn't change. I get a few perks, I get a few advantages, people know me as an Olympic champion, I'm proud of myself but nothing inherently changes. 'Coming into this, I really wanted to prove to myself that I can do it, even after such a hard and also successful year so it was an even bigger challenge.' Meanwhile, it was business as usual for French swim star Leon Marchand, who took the men's 200m individual medley crown, a day after shattering Ryan Lochte's 14-year-old record in the semi-finals with a time of 1:52.69. Frenchman Leon Marchand claimed the men's 200m individual medley crown, which he had also won in 2022 and 2023. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO The 23-year-old clocked 1:53.68 in the final, slower than his world mark, but still placed ahead of American Shaine Casas (1:54.30) and Hungary's Hubert Kos (1:55.34), with all three training at the University of Texas at Austin under coach Bob Bowman. The four-gold Olympic champion said: 'I felt so excited yesterday that I couldn't sleep. I was enjoying the moment a lot yesterday so I lost a lot of energy yesterday night. but it was my goal to break the record so I was really happy with it. 'Today was a different mood, I would say. I was going for the title, I was racing my teammates so that was pretty fun... and we are sharing the podium together, that just shows how good coach Bowman is.' In the women's 50m backstroke, American Katharine Berkoff won her first individual world title in 27.08sec despite being among the swimmers in the United States camp who were hit by a gastroenteritis outbreak. Compatriot Regan Smith was second in 27.25sec, while China's Wan Letian (27.30sec) was third. The women's 4x200m freestyle was won by Australia in 7:39.35, followed by the US (7:40.01) and China (7:42.99). While Yu was not part of the quartet who won a bronze, the 12-year-old was still awarded a medal as she swam in the heats, becoming the youngest swimmer to get on the podium at an international meet in 89 years. The last 12-year-old to win a medal at top level was Denmark's Inge Sorensen, who bagged the women's 200m breaststroke bronze less than a month after turning 12 at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
Straits Times
15 hours ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
China's Chen Yuxi reclaims 10m platform title at world c'ships; S'pore's Ainslee Kwang finishes 17th
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Yuxi Chen of China was crowned world champion of the women's 10m platform for the fourth time. SINGAPORE – As far as 19-year-olds go, Chinese diver Chen Yuxi might be one of the world's most talented teenagers. With 40 medals before her 20th birthday in September – 35 of those gold – she proceeded to add her 36th title when she bulldozed her way to the women's 10m platform crown at the World Aquatics Championships (WCH) on July 31. After placing second in the 2024 edition in Doha, she reclaimed the title with a commanding performance of 430.50 points, finishing streets ahead of Germany's Pauline Pfeif (367.10) and compatriot Xie Peiling (358.20) . It is her fourth time winning this event after similar successes in 2019, 2022 and 2023. Despite being a serial winner, she was still emotional as she gave her coach a big hug upon learning of her latest victory at the OCBC Aquatic Centre. 'Even though it's the fourth time, each win carries a different meaning,' said Chen, who is the diver with the most gold medals (three) at this year's meet, with three days of competition left . She added: 'This past year has been a journey of growth and constant adjustments for me, so achieving this result today feels like a form of encouragement.' After her first dive put her top of the pile, she slipped to second place when Xie performed a stellar dive of 91.20. However, the Olympic silver medallist demonstrated that consistency is key as a series of well-executed dives left her competition in the dust, ultimately ending the final a whopping 63.40 points ahead of runner-up Pfeif to the elation of her fans who made up the majority of the crowd. Fans of Chinese diver Chen Yuxi held placards and flags bearing her name. ST PHOTO: Samuel Tan As she walked past her followers, they screamed wildly, waving placards and flags bearing her name and even tossing gifts like stuffed toys onto the ground which she received gratefully. 'They do this every time,' said Chen. '(The gifts are) always the kind I like.' Pfeif was equally emotional after claiming silver, dedicating her first WCH medal to her late grandfather who died in July at the age of 85. Teary-eyed, she said: 'He was my biggest fan and if he would be here, he would be so, so proud of me. He knew I could do it, and every medal that I'm winning now and every good result is for him. 'This medal means everything to me.' Having never placed higher than 10th in the WCH, she did not envision herself on the podium but she did 'get a taste of it' after finding herself in fourth place after the preliminary round. 'I wanted it even more. But now, standing here being second in the final, it's just a whole other level,' said the 23-year-old. Singapore's Ainslee Kwang finished 17th out of 18th in the semi-finals with a score of 242.35, having made history by becoming the first diver from the Republic to reach this stage. Rating her semi-final performance a five out of 10, she said there was no added pressure to finish among the top 12 divers and qualify for the final. Ainslee, 14, said: 'It (a semi-final) doesn't really make a difference. It's just like any other competition. You put your heart and mind into it and compete as per normal.' Getting the simple things right was of utmost importance, hence the dives she selected were on average at a lower difficulty level than her competitors, but that also put her at a disadvantage in terms of scoring. Reflecting on her WCH campaign, she said: 'It was definitely fun, also really hard because I had so much training. I'm really proud of myself. 'I made a lot of friends from different countries. Since we're all divers, we can relate to each other,' said the Secondary 2 student from Methodist Girls' School. Her coach Charlie Tu chose to highlight her achievement instead, emphasising that 'after all, she's just a kid'. Tu said: 'It is her first time participating in a competition like this at home, in front of so many friends. She really wanted to do well. 'But sometimes, when you focus too much on wanting to do well, you may overlook the technical aspects. So I helped her make some technical adjustments. 'Still, her score was within the expected range, so as her coach, I'm very satisfied.'
Straits Times
a day ago
- Business
- Straits Times
A love for ice cream took Nigerian swimmer Adaku Nwandu to the Olympics
SINGAPORE – Home is many places for swimmer Adaku Nwandu, who was born in China, lives in Singapore and wear the Nigeria flag on her swimsuit. And it is at her current home in Singapore that the 17-year-old is making her debut at the World Aquatics Championships (WCH). In the second heat of the 100m freestyle at the WCH Arena, the teenager, who has a Nigerian father and Chinese mother, led at the turn before finishing third in 1min 0.89sec – she eventually placed 59th out of 82 athletes overall. After her race, Nwandu shared with The Straits Times that she was born and raised in Shanghai, and started swimming when she was eight. Interestingly, it was ice cream that kept her in the sport. Adaku, who still has the 50m freestyle heats on Aug 2, said: 'At a school competition, I didn't do so well, and I asked my dad if we could make a deal. He said if I do better, he would buy me ice cream once every week, and that's a promise we have kept with each other. And that's what brought me here.' In 2023, the family moved to Singapore due to her mother's work posting. With her fluent Mandarin and love for Asian and spicy food, it did not take long for her to pick up Singlish and enjoy local delights like chicken rice and chilli crab. She said: 'We came here mainly because of my mother's work, and also because the swimming scene back where I lived in China was a little bit toxic, so she also thought Singapore would be a new experience and better for my swimming.' Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore ICA to bar high-risk, undesirable travellers from boarding ships, flights bound for Singapore Singapore 17-member committee to drive roll-out of autonomous vehicles in Singapore Singapore Over half of job applications by retrenched Jetstar Asia staff led to offers or interviews: CEO Singapore Underground pipe leak likely reason for water supply issues during Toa Payoh fire: Town council Business Singapore gold investment soars 37% to 2.2 tonnes in Q2 while jewellery demand wanes Multimedia 60 years, 60 items: A National Day game challenge Asia US-Malaysia tariff deal set for Aug 1 after Trump-Anwar phone call Singapore 'Switching careers just as I became a dad was risky, but I had to do it for my family' By then, she had already committed to representing Nigeria after its aquatics association contacted her after the National Sports Festival in Asaba, where the then 16-year-old was part of the national record-breaking women's 4x200m freestyle relay team. But Singapore is where she has been honing her swimming skills, as she has set her 50m and 100m freestyle long and short course Nigeria national records at meets here. Noting her improvements, national swimming coach and performance director Gary Tan said: 'Adaku has been participating in our system for a while, and we hope it helps her develop as a swimmer and achieve what she wants while training in Singapore with her school (German European School Singapore).' For someone who is inspired by Olympic champions David Popovici, Caeleb Dressel and Adam Peaty for 'their dedication and the way they are able to take breaks for themselves to improve and get back to the water', qualifying for Paris 2024 on ranking points was a dream come true. Her Olympic debut was also unforgettable as her swimsuit ripped 20 minutes before her 50m freestyle heat, but she managed to finish second in her heat and 33rd out of 78th overall in 26.62, just 0.03 seconds off her personal best. Back in Singapore, Adaku, who is in the International Baccalaureate programme at her school, realised that she needed more of such resilience to reach her goals. Singapore-based Adaku Nwandu (from right) represented Nigeria at the 2024 short course swimming world championships in Hungary, alongside Pakistan's Jehanara Nabi and Nepal's Duana Lama. PHOTO: JEHANARANABI/INSTAGRAM The swimmer, who also plays for the school's volleyball team, said: 'I had a lot of improvement the first year I came to Singapore. But this past year has been especially hard for me with family problems and also school. The workload in my first year of IB made it hard to balance training and school. 'Especially in the next year, I want to focus more on swimming and try to get some new personal bests because this year I just plateaued. I'm looking forward to training harder and preparing for my next competition, and hopefully qualify for the next Olympics.'
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- 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
2 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Leon Marchand sets first world record at World Aquatics C'ships in Singapore
French swimmer Leon Marchand went under his own personal best of 1:54.06 at the WCH Arena. SINGAPORE – French superstar Leon Marchand justified his decision to compete in only individual medleys at the July 11-Aug 3 World Aquatics Championships (WCH) as he broke the men's 200m medley world record in 1:52.69 in the semi-finals on July 30. The 23-year-old, who won four Olympic golds in the two medleys and the men's 200m breaststroke and butterfly at Paris 2024, went under his own personal best of 1:54.06 at the WCH Arena and took more than a second off Ryan Lochte's previous mark of 1:54.00 set in 2009. Marchand, who received US$30,000 (S$38,750) for his feat, said: 'I knew I was going to get close to my PB because I felt really good today, and the preparation has been pretty good, so I was really excited to race. But 1:52 is unbelievable for me. '(Focusing on the medleys) was probably the right decision. So, I'm grateful for my coaches and all the staff behind me. It's been a really hard season for me, but I'm happy to be here and do that.' The 200m medley final takes place on July 31, while his next event, the 400m medley, will be held on Aug 3 with the heats in the morning and final in the evening. Singapore has proven to be a lucky ground for Marchand. After the Paris 2024 Olympics, he claimed the men's individual ranking title at the short-course World Aquatics Swimming World Cup in Singapore last November. But things did not go his way after that as he dislocated his shoulder in December and fractured his rib in early 2025. He resumed training in March and returned to competition a month later, before getting back to his devastating best in the Republic to deliver the first world record at this meet.
