S'pore swimming great Junie Sng regrets not competing in Olympics before retiring at 19

Posted on 12 May 2024 | 63 views | 0 commentsHer career continued to sizzle as she became Singapore’s first female swimmer to win an Asian Games gold at 14, emigrated to Australia at 16, and returned to sweep 10 gold medal s at the 1983 SEA Games on home soil.

Recalling her “love-hate relationship” with swimming, she said: “The 400m and 800m free came quite naturally to me. As Mr Kee would say, I didn’t have fast-twitch muscles, so long distance was my jam really... and height wasn’t a factor.” Not even the great Patricia Chan and Joscelin Yeo won an Asiad gold, with Tao Li the only Singaporean woman to do so in the 50m butterfly in 2006 and 2010.

On her retirement, Sng said: “I sort of knew at that time there wasn’t any career I could rely on that was going to provide income if I was going to continue my swimming. I needed to think about my future, and that’s why I gave up swimming.” “With Bill, I did an 8:45 and unfortunately I never got to show the time in competition,” said a wistful Sng, as the timing would have made her the first local swimmer to qualify for an Olympic final in 1984.

She does not keep track of local swimming – though she is proud of Joseph Schooling and Yip Pin Xiu’s achievements at the Olympics and Paralympics respectively – and keeps fit in the gym.

Gold Medal

Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Singapore swimming’s history-maker Junie Sng still competitive at 59The swim queen was the first Singaporean woman to win Asian Games golds in Bangkok in 1978.
Source: The Straits Times - 🏆 8. / 63 Read more »

Ayden Sng, Sheryl Ang get 'lovey-dovey' again in new dramaBuzzy new Mediacorp drama To Be Loved marks Ayden Sng and Sheryl Ang's third time working together. And while they have never been more at ease with each other, the show was anything but easy to shoot, the pair revealed to TNP.
Source: thenewpaper - 🏆 7. / 63 Read more »

Macron: confident of great Olympics opening ceremony on river Seine but has plan BPARIS :French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday he was confident the Olympics' opening ceremony in July on the river Seine would be a success, but added authorities prepared 'Plan B' options should security assessment closer to the games require it.
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »

Singapore table tennis players Izaac Quek, Zeng Jian qualify for Paris 2024 OlympicsSINGAPORE: National table tennis players Izaac Quek and Zeng Jian booked their spots at the 2024 Paris Olympics after winning their respective singles finals at the Southeast Asian Regional Qualification Tournament in Bangkok on Friday (May 10).
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »

Australia goalkeeper Williams to retire after Paris OlympicsMELBOURNE : Australia's long-serving goalkeeper Lydia Williams will retire from international soccer after the Paris Olympics, drawing the curtain on a career in women's football that has spanned nearly 20 years.
Source: ChannelNewsAsia - 🏆 6. / 66 Read more »

Taylor Swift draws five times as many US luxury travellers as the OlympicsThe billionaire superstar will kick off the European leg of her Eras Tour in Paris on May 9.
Source: STForeignDesk - 🏆 4. / 71 Read more »