Toh Wei Soong bags second bronze at Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games

SINGAPORE – Singapore swimmer Toh Wei Soong bagged his second bronze medal at the 2026 Asian Para Games (APG) on Oct 20.

At the Nagoya City General Gymnasium, the 28-year-old clocked 1min 5.33sec to finish behind China’s Zhang Yilong (1:03.66) and Uzbekistan’s Sardor Bakhtiyorov (1:04.91).

It came a day after his third-placed effort in the men’s 400m freestyle S7. It was his ninth medal in three Games. He had won the event at his first APG in Indonesia eight years ago, but it was not contested in China in 2023.

Toh, who has transverse myelitis, a condition caused by inflammation of the spinal cord that restricts the use of his legs, is bidding to retain three S7 crowns in the 50m butterfly (Oct 21), 100m backstroke (Oct 22) and 50m freestyle (Oct 23). He is a two-time defending champion in the 50m free.

It has been a busy year for Toh, who has won medals in all three major Games he competed in this year – the ASEAN Para Games, Commonwealth Games and APG. Before the APG, he and his coach Ang Peng Siong had a staging camp at the Chukyo University in Tokyo.

Elsewhere in the pool, compatriot Wong Zhi Wei finished fourth in the men’s 400m freestyle S13 final in 4:38.19, behind Uzbekistan duo Dmitriy Khorlin (4:21.32) and Egor Bolotov (4:21.94), and Qatar’s Shamil Shahov (4:33.09).

The 24-year-old, who has visual impairment, was fourth again in the 100m breaststroke SB13 in 1:13.50. Japan’s Genki Saito (1:12.74), Shahov (1:13.17) and Iran’s Abadi Karimi Jahan (1:13.47) finished on the podium.

Sophie Soon, a visually impaired athlete who swims in the S11 category, finished sixth in the women’s 100m breaststroke SB13 in 1:33.93, with Uzbekistan’s Mubinabonu Khalilova (1:19.60) and Muslima Odilova (1:30.11) sandwiching Japan’s Ayano Tsujiuchi (1:25.69) on the podium.

Over in shooting, Daniel Chan set a new national record of 571 points to qualify in fourth place for the men’s 10m air pistol SH1 on his 39th birthday. In the final, he finished sixth with 150.1 points at the Aichi Prefecture General Shooting Gallery.

South Korea’s world-record holder Jo Jeong-du won gold in a Games record 241.3 points, and was joined on the podium by India’s Manish Narwal (233.7) and China’s Yang Chao (213.6).

Chan, who has obstetrical brachial plexus palsy affecting his left arm, held the previous national mark of 565 en route to finishing fifth at the last APG in 2023.

Meanwhile, Team Singapore are assured of at least another silver in archery where Nur Syahidah Alim successfully navigated three rounds of competition in a day to reach the para compound women’s final.

The 41-year-old, who was born with diplegia, a form of cerebral palsy marked by stiff lower limbs and difficulty walking or standing for extended periods of time, beat Kazakhstan’s Zhanat Aitimova 143-139 in the last 16, another Kazakh Aizada Seidan 143-139 in the quarter-finals, and China’s Xu Xueqing 145-144 in the semi-finals.

She will take on India’s Sheetal Devi in the final on Oct 22 hoping to improve on the silver she clinched at the previous edition.

A total of 20 athletes, including eight debutants, are representing Singapore in nine para-sports at the Aichi-Nagoya Games. Besides swimming, shooting and archery, Singapore’s para-athletes are also competing in athletics, badminton, boccia, cycling (road), judo, and table tennis.