Theresa Goh, Singaporean swimmer
Theresa Goh Rui Si BBM (simplified Chinese: 吴蕊思; traditional Chinese: 吳蕊思; pinyin: Wú Ruǐ Sī; born 16 February 1987) is a Singaporean swimmer and Paralympic medalist, with a bronze at the SB4 100m breaststroke at the 2016 Summer Paralympics. She holds the world records for the SB4 50 metres and 200 metres breaststroke events.
Due to congenital spina bifida, she does not have use of her legs. Nonetheless, she started swimming at the age of five years, and began taking part in competitions at age 12. She soon established herself as a top competitor, winning medals at, among others, the ASEAN ParaGames (2001, 2003, 2005 and 2008), Far East and South Pacific Games Federation for the Disabled (FESPIC) Games (now known as the Asian Para Games) (2002), International Stoke Mandeville Wheelchair Sports Federation (ISMWSF) World Wheelchair Games (2003), National Swimming Championships (2004), and International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Swimming Championships (2006).
In March 2007, at the Danish Open in Esbjerg, Denmark, Goh took top honours in the 100 metres breaststroke, 100 metres butterfly, 100 freestyle and 200 metres individual medley. At the 4th ASEAN ParaGames held in Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat), Thailand, in January 2008, Goh broke the record she set in May 2007 at the German International Disability Swimming Championships to win the gold in the 50 metres breaststroke in a world and FESPIC record time of 52.62 seconds. She achieved another gold in the 200 metres freestyle. Goh took part at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing in the 50 metres, 100 metres and 200 metres freestyle, and in the 100 metres breaststroke.
Goh competes in sport class S5 for the freestyle, SB4 for the breaststroke and SM5 for the individual medley. As of 22 August 2008, she was ranked second in the world for the 100 metres breaststroke and third for the 200 metres individual medley. Goh received the 2001 Sportsgirl Merit Award from the Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC) and was named Sportsgirl of the Year in 2002 and 2003. From 2004 to 2006, she was the SDSC's Sportswoman of the Year. On 27 February 2008 Goh received a special award at the SDSC's Sports Superstar Awards 2007 for outstanding achievements in swimming, and in August that year she was conferred the Pingat Bakti Masyarakat (Public Service Medal) in the National Day Awards.
Her latest sports achievement was in the 2016 Rio Paralympics where she snagged a Bronze medal in the SB4 50 metres breaststroke. In the same year, she was presented the Bintang Bakti Masyarakat (Public Service Star) in the National Day Awards.She announced her retirement from sports in 2019.
1987Feb, 16
Theresa Goh
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