National para swimming legend Yip Pin Xiu sealed her eighth world crown with a stirring victory in the 50m backstroke S2 final, delighting a raucous home crowd on the penultimate day of the World Para Swimming Championships on Friday (Sep 26).
The seven-time Paralympic champion surged to the wall in the final 20m to edge past 100m backstroke S2 gold medallist Diana Koltsova, who had denied her earlier in the week, touching in 1:04.31 to banish any frustration from Tuesday’s runner-up finish.
“It’s extremely special to do it in front of all the people who support me. It’s been really amazing… I’m glad that we put on a show, and I’m glad that everybody can feel the pride that we feel as athletes for our nation,” Yip said, of her fourth successive world title in the event (London 2019, Madeira 2022, Manchester 2023).
The win also gifted the packed stands a chance to hear the national anthem ring out at the OCBC Aquatic Centre for the first time at these world championships, a moment that Yip described as deeply meaningful.
“When I reached the wall, one of the first things I thought of was that everybody here tonight would be able to hear the national anthem,” she said. “I am very, very proud. It’s a special moment for me that everyone could sing along, and to know their support means the world to us.”
Koltsova (1:05.72) burst out of the blocks and led Yip for most of the one-lap sprint, but Yip kept calm and finished strongly to defend her title, with Italian Arjola Trimi taking bronze in 1:05.83. After ceding the 100m title to Koltsova in a shock result on Tuesday, Yip said her race strategy for the 50m was to “enjoy the race”.
“(The 50m silver) definitely did change the preparation. Last night, I couldn’t sleep properly because I really wanted to do well today… I think the difference was that this time, I tried to enjoy the race as much as I could. For the 100m, I think there were still a lot of nerves, but this time around, I just wanted to have fun. AQC is not often that you get to race here. I had fun in training, I want to have fun in the races as well,” the 33-year-old said.
“The world-record holder delivered “I’ve been swimming in the OCBC Aquatic Centre for years, and I can swim well during training. I was trying to channel that same energy here. I didn’t want to rush through my strokes. I didn’t want to be too flustered, so I was thinking about what I would do in training and how I would just be consistent,” she added.
With major events such as the ASEAN Para Games and Asian Para Games on the calendar in 2026, Yip could not confirm her participation in the regional competitions but has her sights set firmly on the Los Angeles (LA) 2028 Paralympics.
“The main goal will be LA, so we will be keeping ourselves mentally, emotionally, and physically prepared for that goal.”
As the World Championships draw to a close on Saturday (Sep 27), Yip expressed gratitude for the support she and her teammates have received throughout “an amazing meet”.
“So many people have been a part of this, everybody has helped us through this journey,” she said. “Medal or not, it really goes to show that they believe in the movement, and that this movement can continue to inspire lives and make a difference. To be able to win here further cements that.”
