Cover Swimming legend Ang Peng Siong on fighting all odds to get to the Olympics (Photo: Courtesy of Ang Peng Siong)
Swimming legend Ang Peng Siong on fighting all odds to get to the Olympics (Photo: Courtesy of Ang Peng Siong)
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From competing on the world stage to achieving his dream of starting a swim school, the former national swimmer turns his attention to his legacy, reflecting on the most iconic parts of his career
Many Singaporeans would know of Ang Peng Siong as the father of Singapore swimming—after all, he was one of the original trailblazers who first put Singapore on the global swimming map.
Aptly nicknamed Asia’s Flying Fish, Ang became the first Singaporean to hold the world No.1 ranking in 50m freestyle. He achieved this feat at the 1982 US Swimming Championships by finishing in a record time of 22.69 seconds—a national record that he held for 32 years.
Ang went on to represent Singapore at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games and the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games.
While Ang retired from competitive swimming in 1993, he continues to do plenty for the local sports industry. On top of managing the eponymous Ang Peng Siong (APS) Swim School Singapore, he has also been working closely with Singaporean freestyle and butterfly swimmer Toh Wei Soong as he prepares for the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games.
Ang’s motivation? Knowing that he is making a difference.
Read more: Meet the Malaysian swimmer who has his sights set on the 2024 Paris Olympics
Above From competing on the world stage to achieving his dream of starting a swim school, the former competitive swimmer reflects on his iconic career, with an eye on his legacy
From competing on the world stage to achieving his dream of starting a swim school, the former competitive swimmer reflects on his iconic career, with an eye on his legacy
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Making a splash
Ang’s passion for swimming was instilled by his late father Ang Teck Bee, to whom he attributes most of his success. The younger Ang shares that his father was a former judoka who represented Singapore at various global competitions including the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games. “My father dedicated his life to the sport of Judo and in whatever he does,” Ang shares, adding that he coached the winningest judo team at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, a feat that has yet to be repeated. And when he was sidelined by his peers in the sport that he loved and “given his life to passionately, he was heartbroken”. Yet, the elder Ang continued to give back in other ways. Watching his dad’s passion for Judo and becoming a trailblazer in the sport inspired Ang to pursue his swimming dreams.
Ang grew up a stone’s throw away from Farrer Park, the birthplace of Singapore sports. On top of a swimming pool, the area housed a football and track stadium, tennis court, squash court, boxing gym and more. Having his father work as a pool supervisor there, the younger Ang remembers the pool being part of their “daily commute for swimming lessons and training”.
While Ang was initially “just having fun and enjoying spending time in the water”, he soon realised his potential as a sprinter. “At that time, I love to sprint and compete with my teammates at the pool. I just kept going as fast as I can. I love the relays and would find myself catching up with the other teams that had the lead,” he reminisces.
He was only 15 when he received his first national call-up at the 1977 Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur, where his team won a silver medal in the Men’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay Team. Ang describes the next 15 years of being a national swimmer as an “adventure filled with many experiences”.
Ang continued to swim through his time at the Anglo-Chinese School and at the University of Houston where he was offered a full athletic scholarship. Ang’s father, who also coached swimming at the former Farrer Park Swimming Complex, gave the younger Ang a “strong foundation” in his training. “He believed that if I was stronger on land with weight training, I would be faster in the water,” Ang shares, adding that he would train consistently in the water with each session lasting for at least two hours, not including dryland routines such as weight training and stretching. “For a typical week, one could easily invest 20 to 30 hours in the sport,” he says.
“Swimming became my life’s journey, an uphill task but a fulfilling journey,” Ang muses. The trailblazer’s hard work and perseverance for the sport paid off when he put Singapore on the world map at the 1982 US Swimming Championships. There, he won a gold medal and set a national record in the aforementioned 50m freestyle event.
The Olympic start line
Throughout his career, Ang had competed in various international Games, with one of his most memorable being his first Olympics.
Less than ten years after competing in his first SEA Games, Ang had a chance to compete at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. As the Games had not introduced the 50m freestyle, Ang’s favourite event, he raced in the 100m freestyle event. His parents and his wife Wendy were in the stands as he made the B Finals, swimming a personal best that won the race.
“That win created an impact on the crowd. When spectators were asking: “Where is Singapore?” My father was quick to reply and explain where the little red dot is!” Ang reminisces.
A pinnacle sporting event for any sportsman, Ang shared how he had to “fight against all odds to compete on the world stage”. As the nation did not have a strong sporting culture, it was difficult to “swim against the current” and he had to “depend on [depend] on himself to be the best”. On top of spending years striving to be the best, Ang adds how it was also important for him to build a “strong support team with relentless drive” to help him succeed.
Looking back, he reflects: “The Olympic experience is about challenging yourself to become the best possible version of yourself. While doing that, you have the opportunity to be the best possible version of yourself.”
He recalls that the 1984 LA Olympics saw the first major breakthrough in Sports Aid with McDonald’s being one of the major sponsors for the commercially run Olympic Games. Ang also remembers the chain printing his picture on McDonald’s serving trays in Singapore.
Achieving a dream
After making a difficult decision to retire in 1993, Ang set out to start a swim school in Singapore. One of his dreams, he wanted to start a school to provide a “structured and quality learn-to-swim program for future generations of Singaporeans”.
This dream was inspired by his head coach Phillip Sand Hansel at the University of Houston who had a swim school in the heart of Houston, serving three generations of Houstonians. “I believe what he did was a social entrepreneurship in the sporting industry. Serving the community with a business in swim lessons and then giving back to the sport by running a non-profit club programme,” he explains.
In 1995, Ang set up the APS Swim School and the Aquatic Performance Swim Club (APSC). “Now, we have the second generation of students coming back to us. Hopefully, in another ten years we will see the third generation come back,” he says.
Ang’s mission of establishing a swim school also stems from his hope of growing the sports industry in Singapore. “During my time as a swimmer, I had seen the struggles that many sportsmen had to overcome. During my and my dad’s time, it was about passion—that desire to be the best in what you love to do is the fuel for excellence,” he continues.
While the sports culture has come a long way since, there is still much to be done. “I have yet to see any initiative to help the private sector become successful,” he says, adding that it was a sad time when “Sports” was removed from the then Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports’ portfolio.
He continues: “My definition of a sporting culture is when society embraces fun and play with the desire to be competitive and relentless in the pursuit of sporting excellence. We have to start with the schools. Make sports a way of life for our children and society. Teach them to play different sports and help them lead a healthy life in school.”
Creating a legacy
On top of managing his swim school, spending time with his family and training Paralympians, Ang is planning his legacy. When it comes to building a sports culture in Singapore, Ang is not holding back. He believes that with the right environments and opportunities, young Singaporeans will be able to take the world stage. “My dream is to build a pool to groom and nurture future Singaporeans to take the world stage, It should be an environment where they are given the best opportunities to succeed,” he says.
Ang is still holding on to hope for the future. The swim legend adds: “In my lifetime, I truly wish that Singapore will have a dedicated sports university to help drive the sports industry in Singapore. There are nations around the world with similar population sizes that have produced world-class sporting successes. We should challenge ourselves as the little red dot that can!”
Amanda Goh was the former senior writer for Tatler Singapore.
