Eugene Chia and Gan Ching Hwee: The Long Road to Three Asian Games Silvers

Eugene Chia first noticed Gan Ching Hwee at a swim camp when she was 11. What followed was a coaching relationship lasting more than a decade, through international breakthroughs and difficulties in communicating, to three silver medals at the 2026 Asian Games. Its defining thread is not one decisive race but sustained belief in what Gan could become. 426

From early promise to a long-term partnership

Gan stood out to Chia at that childhood camp, and he became her coach a few months later. Reporting on their early years describes her technique—not simply her speed—as the quality that caught his attention. Gan has since recalled that Chia told her mother she had potential even when Gan herself doubted whether to continue swimming. 426

That belief had support beyond the pool. Gan has credited her family and team alongside Chia, while an account of her childhood describes parents who rearranged their schedules to take her to training and competitions. She has also described the discipline required to balance swimming with schoolwork. 2627

Gan eventually became a distance-freestyle specialist, but her results also show the range of her swimming. In 2026, Chia challenged her to pursue a national record in the 400m individual medley after noticing her strength and stroke efficiency in a heat; she went on to break the record. The available reporting does not establish a precise account of how he steered her away from sprinting, so her later events should not be mistaken for evidence of a single, documented change of plan. 1835

How they worked through difficult periods

Their partnership was not free of strain. Gan has identified communication and pandemic-era training challenges as part of their journey, while a profile of the pair reports that a sports psychologist helped bridge communication between swimmer and coach. Those accounts support a story of a relationship that required work, without establishing the details of every disagreement or exactly when their conversations improved. 264

Gan’s comments after her 2026 Asian Games 1,500m silver show the trust they had built. She said she drew on her preparation with Chia and the support staff when committing to an ambitious race plan. At the 2025 SEA Games, she similarly recalled his advice to trust herself and swim as she had trained. 936

Chia’s public comments also point to an emphasis on effort and execution, not medals alone. Discussing a 400m individual medley race in March 2026, he asked Gan for her best effort and focused on how well she carried out the race. After the 2025 World Aquatics Championships, Gan described the pair as reassessing their plans one meet at a time, with her physical and mental capacity in mind. 1722

What Gan has achieved—and what comes next

Gan made her Olympic debut at Paris 2024, breaking Singapore’s 1,500m freestyle record in the heats and also competing in the 800m freestyle. She finished seventh in the 1,500m freestyle final at the 2025 World Aquatics Championships. By the start of the 2025 SEA Games, she had won 11 gold medals across four editions; she went on to complete a third straight 400m freestyle title that December. 3527211236

Her clearest breakthrough came at the 2026 Asian Games, where she won silver and set a Singapore record in each of three freestyle events: 4:06.81 in the 400m, 8:26.25 in the 800m and 16:00.45 in the 1,500m. She was Singapore’s only swimming podium finisher at those Games. 6582

Chia’s next stated ambition is an Olympic final at Los Angeles 2028. He has identified speed and turns as areas to improve, while Gan has spoken of pursuing an Olympic A qualifying time. Neither goal is guaranteed. Their record so far, though, shows what has made this partnership durable: early confidence in Gan’s ability, support through setbacks, and a willingness to keep refining the work behind each result. 2264