Singapore, September 10, 2019: Jonathan Chan became the first-ever Singaporean diver to qualify for the Olympics. He is also Singapore’s first athlete to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Games.
Chan achieved the historic feat last Sunday, September 8, when he won the men’s 10-metre platform final at the 8th Asian Diving Cup in Kuala Lumpur. As continental champion he is guaranteed a ticket to Tokyo.
The 22-year-old Chan scored 407.90 from his six dives at the Bukit Jalil National Aquatic Centre, to take top spot ahead of China’s Wang Zewei, 393.45 points, and North Korea’s Ri Kwon Hyok, 347.25.
Chan told The Straits Times: “I was happy, but it was more disbelief that I felt because there was a Chinese diver and they usually sweep the medals. I’m still in shock, it hasn’t really dawned on me yet.”
The Singapore Swimming Association’s diving programme was only re-introduced in Singapore in 2009 to groom athletes for the inaugural Youth Olympic Games held in Singapore a year later.
