World record shows Rio preparations going well: Yip Pin Xiu
Swimmers Theresa Goh (left) and Yip Pin Xiu (right) with their team in Portugal. (Photo: Theresa Goh’s Facebook page)
Singapore swimmer Yip Pin Xiu set a new world record for the second time in six months when she obliterated the 100m backstroke (S2) mark on Wednesday (5 May).
In her first race at the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Swimming European Open Championships in Funchal, Portugal, the 24-year-old touched the wall first in 2min 9.79sec – almost seven seconds faster than Ukrainian Ganna Ielisavetska’s previous record of 2:16.31 set in 2014.
Yip, Singapore’s first and only Paralympics gold medallist, also clocked 1:01.39 at the 50m mark of the same race - thus breaking her own world record of 1:01.61, which she set at the Asean Para Games last December. She also set new Asian records in the 50m and 100m (S2) in her second race of the night in the 100m freestyle (S3), where she finished fifth.
Speaking to Yahoo Singapore over the phone on Thursday, a delighted Yip said that she had not specifically thought about setting a record prior to the race.
“It was the first race of this meet so I still had a bit of nerves,” she recalled. “I wanted to just go in and do my best, go all out and see how fast I could swim.
“Usually before a race, I tend to think a bit too much, but not this time… I am happy with it!”
New training regime
The timings also serve to assure Yip that her preparations for the upcoming Rio Paralympics are on track, having decided to take a year off her studies at Singapore Management University to train full-time.
She embarked on a new training programme that included focus on aspects like biomechanics and nutrition, as well as a more intense schedule.
“Once we get back from Portugal, we will have a bit of a break before starting the cycle off again,” said Yip, who was involved in a meet in Russia last month. “I will be racing in Germany in June and having two [overseas] training camps in July, then come back for a bit for a camp in August before heading off to Rio.
“I don’t think we have ever been overseas this much, but we have been shown to be very receptive towards [such] camps (in terms of results).”
Yip added she is not worried about peaking too early and simply wants to keep building on the progress, which includes working on the 100m.
“I used to be more focused on the 50m backstroke as I was more of a sprinter, but with the 100m backstroke event being available, I have to work on that back-end speed,” she said. Yip is pencilled in to compete in both events in Rio.
Aim for Rio podium
While training full-time means delaying graduation for the final-year political science student, the opportunity to rest and recover properly has been a big boost. Still, Yip does not have much time to spend with family and friends.
She is not hung up about missing out on a medal at the London Games in 2012, but is keen to add to the gold and silver ones from Beijing in 2008.
“It will be nice to be there again on the podium because it will be a fairy-tale ending,” she said. “I will see how it goes (whether to continue) after Rio.”
Yip set another Asian record on Thursday night in the 50m freestyle (S2) by bagging silver in 1:01.00 and will swim her final race in the 50m backstroke (S2) on Friday. Fellow Team Singapore swimmer Theresa Goh finished third in the 100m breaststroke (SB4) on Wednesday as she clocked an Asian record time of 1:59.90.
