Theresa Goh hits 30-gold milestone at Asean Para Games

SINGAPORE — Not many athletes in Singapore have had as long or as storied a career as Theresa Goh.

At the tender age of 12, Goh, who has spina bifida and does not have use of her legs, began swimming competitively. By the time she was 14, she was the top para swimmer in South-east Asia after winning six gold medals at the inaugural Asean Para Games (APG) in Kuala Lumpur.

Making her return to the city of her first-ever APG triumph 16 years ago, Goh had little to prove at this year’s Games. But the 30-year-old admitted that she was still nervous before Wednesday’s SB4 100m breaststroke final, which she won in 2min 4.16s to hit an all-time milestone of 30 APG golds.

“It’s always good to win a gold, and it’s my 30th of my APG career, so that’s like a cherry on top,” she said.

“Thirtieth gold for the 30-year-old ... Not a particular one means more than the other; they all add up and brought me to where I am today.”

Although she was pleased with her win, Goh said that she had hoped to go faster.

As Singapore’s most bemedalled and longest-serving athlete at the biennial Games, the Public Service Star winner — who has competed in all nine APGs — is a role model for her team-mates.

It is a role she relishes, as Goh added: “I’m just glad that I can be there for my team-mates when they need it ... Whether it’s their first, second or third APG, races sometimes don’t go the way you plan. So I’m there for them as their support when they’re down, and will cheer for them when they’re happy.”

Goh is also aiming to make a difference beyond Singapore, as she is bidding for a spot on the World Para Swimming Athlete Advisory Group, which represents para swimmers in issues such as equal gender representation, promoting a healthy image and fair play, as well as fostering the growth and development of the sport. Only five out of 11 candidates will be chosen, and elections will be held at the World Para Swimming Championships at the end of the month.

“I thought it was a good time to take up a bit more responsibility,” Goh told TODAY. “I usually shy away from this kind of responsibility ... but this will give me more opportunities to step out of my comfort zone.”

The fourth day of APG competition in Kuala Lumpur saw Team Singapore’s athletes winning three gold medals in swimming, bowling and cycling to take the overall tally to six.

Bowler Muhammad Farhan Ismail clinched gold on Wednesday in the men’s TPB4 singles, while visually-impaired cyclist Emily Lee and pilot Sarah Tan — an able-bodied athlete who also competed at the SEA Games last month — took the top spot in the women’s 12.3km individual time trial.

This is the first time that cycling is being contested at the Games, and Lee, who had earlier won two silvers and another bronze, said: “I feel happy today because I wanted to win a gold for Singapore and hear our national anthem play at the victory ceremony. It was an honour to have been able to do that for Singapore.

“The first medal I won on Sunday encouraged me — it gave me more confidence and made me want to work hard and win a gold.” ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY NOAH TAN