Toh Wei Soong (; born 11 September 1998) is a Singaporean freestyle and butterfly swimmer. He was a bronze medallist in the S7 50 metre Freestyle at the

2018 Commonwealth Games The 2018 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXI Commonwealth Games and also known as Gold Coast 2018, was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth that were held on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, bet ...

and a two-time gold medallist at the

2018 Asian Para Games The 2018 Asian Para Games ( id, Pesta Olahraga Difabel Asia 2018, ''Asian Para Games 2018''), officially known as the 3rd Asian Para Games and also known as Indonesia 2018, was a pan-Asian multi-sport event that held from 6 to 13 October 2018 ...

for the S7 50 metre Freestyle and the S7 100 metre Freestyle events. At the

2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...

, Toh finished fourth in the S7 50 metre Butterfly final, missing a bronze medal by 0.16 seconds.

Early life and education

At the age of 2, Toh was affected by Transverse myelitis, a condition which is caused by the inflammation of the spinal cord and has affected his lower nervous system. The eldest of two children in his family, Toh studied in Anglo-Chinese School (Junior) and Anglo-Chinese School (Independent), graduating from the International Baccalaureate (IB) programme in 2017. Toh is currently reading Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) at the

National University of Singapore The National University of Singapore (NUS) is a national public research university in Singapore. Founded in 1905 as the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States Government Medical School, NUS is the oldest autonomous university in the c ...

, enrolled in the

University Scholars Programme The National University of Singapore (NUS) is a national public research university in Singapore. Founded in 1905 as the Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States Government Medical School, NUS is the oldest autonomous university in the c ...

Swimming career

Toh started swimming competitively at the age of 14. He won the first-ever Special Event at the annual SSSC Championships, competing as a para-swimmer for ACS(I). In 2013 he joined Aquatic Performance Swim Club under the Singapore National Para-Swimming Team and met his current coach, Ang Peng Siong, a former Singaporean Olympic swimmer.

2013 Asian Youth Para Games

At the

2013 Asian Youth Para Games The 2013 Asian Youth Para Games ( ms, Sukan Para Remaja Asia 2013), officially known as the 2nd Asian Youth Para Games, was an Asian youth disabled multi-sport event held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 26 to 30 October 2013. Around 1200 athletes ...

held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Toh won a silver medal in the Men's 100 metre freestyle S8 event, his first medal in an international event.

2015 ASEAN Para Games

At the 2015 ASEAN Para Games held in Singapore, Toh rose to prominence by winning three gold medals and one silver medal from his 4 events. He was also a torch bearer alongside other Singaporean athletes such as

Yip Pin Xiu Yip Pin Xiu (; born 10 January 1992) is a Singaporean backstroke swimmer. She is a five-time Paralympic gold medallist and 5 time World Champion, with two world records in the 50 m backstroke S2 and the 100 m backstroke S2. Yip is Singapore ...

and Tay Wei Ming

2017 ASEAN Para Games

At the

2017 ASEAN Para Games The 2017 ASEAN Para Games ( ms, Sukan Para ASEAN 2017), officially known as the 9th ASEAN Para Games ( ms, Sukan Para ASEAN ke-9), was a Southeast Asian disabled multi-sport event held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 17 days after the 2017 Southeast A ...

held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Toh won two gold medals and one silver medal from his 3 events, breaking several Games records for his events.

2018 Commonwealth Games

At the

held in Gold Coast,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, Toh won the first para-swimming medal for Singapore in the Men's 50 metre freestyle S7 event, obtaining a bronze medal. He is also the second person to win a swimming medal for Singapore at the Commonwealth Games, following up on Joseph Schooling's silver medal at the

2014 Commonwealth Games The 2014 Commonwealth Games ( gd, Geamannan a' Cho-fhlaitheis 2014), officially known as the XX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Glasgow 2014, ( sco, Glesca 2014 or Glesga 2014; gd, Glaschu 2014), was an international multi-sport ev ...

in Glasgow, UK.

2018 Asian Para Games

At the

held in

Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...

, Indonesia, Toh won the first medal for Singapore at the 2018 Asian Para Games, obtaining a gold medal in the Men's 50 metre freestyle S7 event on the first day of competition, beating competitors Daisuke Ejima from Japan and Ernie Gawilan from the Philippines. He went on to win another gold medal in the Men's 100 metre freestyle S7 event as well as a bronze medal in the Men's 100 metre backstroke S7 event, becoming the most decorated Singaporean athlete of the Games.

2020 Summer Olympics

At the

Paralympics held in Tokyo,

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, Toh finished fourth in the S7 50 metre Butterfly final, missing out on a bronze medal by 0.16 seconds. He also swam in the S7 50 metre Freestyle and S7 400 metre Freestyle finals, finishing seventh in both events respectively.

2022 Commonwealth Games

At the

2022 Commonwealth Games The 2022 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Birmingham 2022, was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations that took place in Birmingham, England bet ...

held in Birmingham, England, Toh won a silver medal for Singapore in the Men's S7 50 metre freestyle, becoming the most decorated Singapore swimmer at the Commonwealth Games with one silver and one bronze medal.

2023 ASEAN Para Games

At the

2023 ASEAN Para Games ) , nations participating = 11 , athletes participating = , events = 12 sports , opening ceremony = 3 June , closing ceremony = 9 June , officially opened by =TBA , athlete's oath =TBA , stadium ...

held in

Phnom Penh Phnom Penh (; km, ភ្នំពេញ, ) is the capital and most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since the French protectorate of Cambodia and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its economic, indus ...

, Cambodia, Toh won three gold medals and two silver medals for Singapore over 5 events, setting new Games Records in the S7 Men's 50 metre Butterfly and S7 Men's 100 metre Freestyle respectively, with a new National Record set in the S7 Men's 100 metre Backstroke.

2022 Asian Para Games

At the

2022 Asian Para Games ) , Host city = Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China , Nations participating = , Athletes participating = 4,000 (Expected) , Events = 616 in 22 sports (in 24 disciplines) , Opening ceremony = 22 October 2023 , Closing cere ...

held in Hangzhou,

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, Toh won three gold medals and one silver medal for Singapore over 4 events, becoming the most decorated Singapore athlete at the

. Toh was also the first medallist for Singapore at the Games with his silver medal in the S7 400 metre Freestyle event. He later won three gold medals in the S7 100M Backstroke, the S7 50M Butterfly and the S7 50M Freestyle event respectively.

References

External links

ActiveSG Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Toh, Wei Soong 1998 births Living people Singaporean sportspeople of Chinese descent Singaporean male backstroke swimmers Singaporean male freestyle swimmers Commonwealth Games medallists in swimming Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Singapore Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for Singapore Swimmers at the 2018 Commonwealth Games Swimmers at the 2020 Summer Paralympics Swimmers at the 2022 Commonwealth Games 21st-century Singaporean people Medalists at the 2018 Asian Para Games Medalists at the 2022 Asian Para Games Medallists at the 2018 Commonwealth Games Medallists at the 2022 Commonwealth Games