It was smiles and hugs galore for the Team Singapore swimmers when they landed at Changi Airport yesterday (12 May) evening.
Their joy wasn’t misplaced as the team had collectively brought back a 47-medal haul from Cambodia — of which 22 are gold.
Apart from the broken records and personal bests, 50m freestyle swimmer Jonathan Tan also qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics with his timing in the SEA Games heats.
Amidst the happy reunion with family and friends, the swimmers reflected on their impressive performance at the games.
Team Singapore swimmers were all smiles yesterday when they came out of the arrival hall to claps and cheers.
Some in the modestly-sized crowd — comprising of fans, friends, and family — had been anticipating the athletes’ arrival for about an hour.
As soon as the athletes walked through the glass doors, the welcome team presented each one with a garland.
Despite the waving flags and faint clicking of camera shutters, the homecoming felt like an intimate affair.
It was definitely a wholesome sight as the athletes sought out their loved ones and posed for pictures.
Surely for them, seeing friends and family after weeks of being away came as a relief.
With the sweet success of the SEA Games still fresh in their minds, a few Team Singapore swimmers took time from their hellos to speak about their experience.
Among those who addressed the media was Jonathan Tan, whose spectacular timing booked him a ticket to next year’s Olympics.
Speaking to MS News, the 21-year-old shared that going to the Olympics was always a goal.
However, as it turns out, he had achieved it “slightly earlier” than expected.
Jonathan is the third Singaporean male swimmer to qualify for the Olympics in recent history since compatriots Quah Zheng Wen and Joseph Schooling.
For those who missed him in action, Jonathan left his competitors in the dust with a 21.91s timing in the 50m freestyle sprint.
“I gauge my performances based on whether I hit my PBs (personal best) — and for this meet I managed to hit my goals,” he said.
For him, qualifying for the Olympics was a “big bonus”.
Jonathan was all smiles as he thought back on his time at the SEA Games, and the bonds that the team had forged.
He candidly shared that though living in the village is always a bit more challenging, the conditions were conducive for team bonding.
“We were 11 guys to one room so we stayed very close to one another and it was pretty fun — it was a pretty good experience”.
When asked if he had any plans to celebrate his success, the future Olympian chuckled and said that resting was at the top of his list.
With the upcoming World Aquatics Championships in July and Asian Games in September, Jonathan and other Singapore swimmers only have a short window for rest.
Kudos to the Team Singapore swimmers for their hard work and dedication to make this success a reality.
They have truly earned a well-deserved break after their stellar performance in Cambodia.
MS News wishes them all the best in the upcoming meets and for them to continue flying the Singapore flag high.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image by MS News. Photography by Iskandar Rossali.
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