SPORTING HEROES > HALL OF FAME > JUNIE SNG
SWIMMING
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Junie Sng would probably be remembered as one of Singapore 's most successful swimmers in the international arena. She was the first Singaporean lady swimmer to win a gold medal at the Asian Games (1978) and at 14, she was also the youngest ever to win not one but two gold medals in the Asian Games series. Her first success came in the 400m freestyle when she smashed the record by more than four seconds. She was to turn in another Asian Games record in the 800m freestyle, 24 hours later. For her outstanding performances, she was hailed as the Star of the 8 th Asian Games by the Bangkok Post.
That same year, she made it to the finals in her pet event, the 800m freestyle, in the Commonwealth Games held in Canada.
Junie's first taste of competitive swimming for Singapore started when she was 11 years old. She made her first international debut at the 8th SEAP Games in 1975, winning 1 gold and 1 silver medal. In the 9 th SEA Games in 1977, Junie won 5 gold medals and broke 6 meet and 2 Asian Games women records. In addition, she smashed the Singapore Open men's 800m and the women's 400m freestyle records, the same year. This was the start of her dominance in the pool in both the SEA and Asian Games. Throughout her swimming career, she not only amassed an incredible medal haul but also smashed several Asian Games, SEA Games and national records.
Junie was awarded the Best Sportswoman accolade consecutively for three years in 1977, 1978 & 1979. This recognition is a testimony to her supremacy in the pool and her achievements in the international arena. She retired from swimming in a blaze of glory winning 10 gold medals at the 1983 SEA Games, held in Singapore.
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