For the first time since 2006, none of the Quah siblings—Ting Wen, Zheng Wen, and Jing Wen—will compete in the upcoming Asian Games, scheduled to take place from September 19 to October 4. The trio, long-standing pillars of Singapore’s swimming team, have collectively earned 152 regional medals over two decades at the Southeast Asian (SEA), Asian, and Commonwealth Games, as well as the Olympics. Their absence marks a significant transition for the national swimming contingent.
The decision to skip the Games stems from the siblings’ pursuit of postgraduate studies, prompting a pause in their athletic careers. Zheng Wen, 29, qualified for the Asian Games in the men's 50m, 100m, and 200m backstroke, as well as the 100m butterfly events, but has opted out to enrol at Duke-NUS Medical School in August. A three-time Olympian with two relay bronze medals from the 2018 Asian Games, Zheng Wen holds four SEA Games gold, three silver, and two bronze medals from the 2025 edition. He cited inspiration from his father, a doctor, and expressed satisfaction with his swimming career while acknowledging the difficulty in missing the quadrennial Games.
Zheng Wen also reflected on the possibility of returning to competition, acknowledging that qualifying for the 2027 SEA Games and 2028 Olympics may be challenging due to his academic commitments. However, he said that participating in the 2029 SEA Games, which will be hosted in Singapore, remains a potential goal, provided his training and priorities allow. He added that he hopes by then Singapore’s swimming talent will have advanced enough to surpass his performance.
Jing Wen, 25, who qualified for the 100m butterfly, is enrolled in a postgraduate medicine programme at the University of Sydney as of early 2026. She described the decision to skip the Asian Games as difficult but necessary due to the demanding nature of medical school. Despite initial hopes of balancing academics and swimming, discussions with Singapore Aquatics led her to prioritise her studies for the year.
Ting Wen, the eldest sibling at 34, qualified in the 50m freestyle and butterfly events but chose to focus on a master’s degree in guidance and counselling at James Cook University, Singapore, a course she began in September 2025. Ting Wen has also been serving as a swim coach at the Overseas Family School since January. Notably, she became the first active national athlete to receive the Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship for postgraduate studies. Like her brothers, she has not ruled out a return to competitive swimming.
The absence of the Quah siblings leaves a notable gap in the Singapore team, which has benefited from their combined haul of 94 gold, 41 silver, and 17 bronze medals at the SEA Games alone. Adding to the challenge, breaststroke specialist Letitia Sim, 23, retired unexpectedly in May.
National swim coach Gary Tan acknowledged the void left by the trio but emphasized that medals are not the sole metric of success. With 19 out of 29 swimmers making their Asian Games debut, Tan described the Games as a critical milestone in Singapore's ongoing rebuilding process. He cited strong performances in recent local meets and stressed the focus on refining race strategies and techniques ahead of the event.
Looking beyond the Asian Games, Tan highlighted the team’s broader objective to develop a robust pool of swimmers for future international competitions. The Singapore swimming programme will be led by co-head coaches Eugene Chia and Gustavo Scruini as the squad seeks to maintain its competitiveness on the continental stage.