Gan Ching Hwee breaks national record on Olympic debut
PARIS – It was a race that she had waited three years for and on her Olympic debut, national swimmer Gan Ching Hwee found the calm to block out the noise.
As she waited in the call room for her women’s 1,500m freestyle heat on July 30, the first race nerves were present and she could hear the fervent crowd at the Paris La Defense Arena.
But once she was off the blocks and in the water, she was in her element. The chants and cheers of the crowd were drowned out and all she heard was just the familiar sound of water splashing around her ears, bringing her “a kind of zen”.
With the 21-year-old in the zone, she clocked 16min 10.13sec to rewrite her previous national record 16:10.61 set in June at the Singapore National Swimming Championships, topping Heat 1 in the process.
She finished ninth in the 16-swimmer field, with less than two seconds separating her from Germany’s Leonie Martens (16:08.69), who took the last spot for the eight-swimmer final.
Gan is the first reserve for the final, which takes place on July 31. American Katie Grimes, 18, is the second reserve (16:12.11).
Defending champion Katie Ledecky was first in the heats with the American touching home in 15:47.43.
Gan said: “It’s quite hard to put into words honestly. It’s different and the same at the same time – it’s just a swimming pool with a bit more lights, cameras all around, noise, everything.
“I just came in here to swim free, loose, be happy, enjoy every minute of it, which I did and I’m very happy with the result.”
Out of the pool, Gan has also had to stay focused amid the selection storm involving her and Quah Ting Wen for the Paris Olympics.
Crediting her support system, she said: “My coaches kept me in check, reminding me that I just need to continue putting in the work, that noise is really secondary.”
On July 30, Gan not only achieved her goal of topping her heat, which comprised herself, Malta’s Sasha Gatt and Chile’s Kristel Kobrich, but also surpassed her expectations with a new national mark.
Having just broken the record in June, Gan was not expecting herself to achieve the feat again and there was a sense of relief for her after she completed the race.
She said: “I have been waiting for this day for the longest time. I feel like I can’t call myself an Olympian until I’ve actually swum my race, it’s just so special right now.”
While she just missed out on the 1,500m free final, Gan still has two more events coming up – the 800m free, which begins on Aug 2, and the women’s 4x100m medley relay the day after.
She is still taking in the experience of being at her maiden Olympics, including attending a baguette-making workshop, and is looking to make the most of her remaining events in Paris.
Gan said: “I’ve heard a bit of stuff here and there but it’s nothing quite like experiencing it myself.
“It’s just a very special thing, a bit surreal at times. I’ll take some time after the Games to really process this experience, but now I’m going to go out there and do my best.”
Meanwhile, in the men’s 100m free, Jonathan Tan clocked 49.60 seconds to place fifth in Heat 6 and 38th overall. American Jack Alexy topped the 79-strong field with his 47.57sec effort.
While he felt he could have gone faster, Tan is looking ahead to his next race: the 50m free on Aug 1.
“It’s definitely not the race I wanted to swim, I wanted to go faster than that,” said the 22-year-old, whose entry time was 48.80sec.
“But I’ve got to keep my head in the game and hopefully the 50m will be better.”
The swimming action continues on July 31, with Singapore’s Letitia Sim competing in the women’s 200m breaststroke, her second event of the Paris Games.
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