Quah-Schooling showdown on the cards at NCAA

SINGAPORE — Up-and-coming young swimmer Quah Zheng Wen is set for an exciting showdown with Singapore teammate and Olympic champion Joseph Schooling at this month’s National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Swimming Championships after the 20-year-old was given the green light to compete in the meet.

In January this year, the Rio Olympic 100m and 200 butterfly semi-finalist made the decision to head to the United States to study and train at the University of California, Berkeley. This despite the uncertainty over his eligibility to compete in the NCAA, as the swimmer had not been cleared then to compete due to questions over his amateur status due to his one-year endorsement deal with Liberty Insurance as well as his participation in professional meets such as the FINA World Cup. NCAA rules do not allow amateur athletes to accept financial assistance or commercial deals.

Quah is now set for a debut in NCAA’s top-flight swimming championships from March 22 to 25 after making his collegiate splash at the Pac-12 Invitational in Washington on Sunday.

Swimming in the NCAA last-chance qualifying meet, the multiple SEA Games gold medallist clocked an impressive 1min 40.36sec in the men’s 200-yard butterfly, the second fastest in the United States this season after University of Texas’ (UT) Jack Conger, who won gold in at the Rio Olympics in the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay.

Quah’s time also puts him ahead of UT swimmer Schooling, whose own season’s best of 1:41.58 at the Big 12 Swimming and Diving meet puts him 11th on the rankings list for 2017.

Quah, who was granted an extension of his National Service deferment till the 2020 Olympics, was delighted to be able to compete in the top division NCAA meet. He said yesterday: “I am very appreciative of the opportunity to compete at the upcoming NCAA season and would like to thank everyone for all their support and look forward to racing my best with the Cal Bears.”

Berkeley swimming head coach Dave Durden was also happy to have Quah on board for the 2017 season, as he told authoritative swimming news website SwimSwam: “It’s tough for any kid who has to sit out for any reason, whether it’s academics or injury, or in Zheng’s case, working through the NCAA process to watch teammates race and compete and you can’t.

“He’s a really impressive kid… Any kid that starts the academic process, it’s a tough transition and it’s a tough process and he’s handled it very well.”

With Quah eligible to compete in the 100 and 200-yard butterfly, and 100-yard backstroke at the NCAA, Singaporean fans can expect a thrilling head-to-head battle between him and Schooling.

Schooling stole the show at last year’s NCAA meet with five gold medals. He successfully defended his 100 and 200-yard titles and helped UT to win the 400-yard medley relay and 200-yard and 800-yard freestyle relays.

His individual wins were also achieved in new NCAA and Big 12 record times. All these earned him two accolades: Men’s Swimmer of the Year at the 2015-16 Big 12 Swimming and Diving post-season awards and 2016 College Swimming Coaches Association of America NCAA Division 1 Men’s Swimmer of the Year.

Berkeley and UT are also fierce rivals in the NCAA Championships, with Texas edging out the Cal Bears for the swimming title in 2015 and 2016.

Schooling is looking forward to seeing a familiar face in the pool at the NCAA. “That’s fantastic to hear that Zheng is able to swim in the NCAAs this year,” said the 21-year-old. “I have benefitted from being an NCAA athlete and I am sure he will too. It is definitely good for Singapore swimming and hopefully there will be more swimmers from Singapore that will go through this pathway.

"I wish him all the best with the Bears and look forward to compete with him in less than three weeks. He will definitely be a great asset to CalBears.”

Durden acknowledged that the Cal Bears have a hard slog ahead at the NCAA. “Everybody is chasing Texas,” he said. “You have four returning gold medalists, and that doesn’t even account for Will Licon (national record holder in the 200-yard breaststroke), who won two individual events last year. Their depth and talent is incredible and they’re going to be hard to beat.”

Singapore Swimming Association (SSA) president Lee Kok Choy offered his congratulations to Quah yesterday, as he said: “We congratulate Zheng Wen and his family on this wonderful news, and wish him all the best with the Cal Bears at the upcoming NCAA season.”