Pin Xiu Yip

Started: She took up the sport at age six in Singapore. She began swimming competitively at age 12. (Athlete, 13 Sep 2019; mindful-company.com, 03 Mar 2017) Reason: She wanted to join her brothers in their swimming lessons, so her mother asked the brothers' coach if it was possible. Yip later took up Para swimming after being spotted by the Singapore Disability Sports Council. "Being able to move about freely is why I love swimming." (Athlete, 13 Sep 2019; womanoftheyear.herworld.com, 01 Sep 2018; straitstimes.com, 04 Sep 2017; myactivesg.com, 2016) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (paralympic.org, 28 Jun 2023) Milestones: At the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, she became the first Singapore athlete to win more than four Paralympic medals, as she took her career tally to five gold and one silver in Tokyo. (SportsDeskOnline, 02 Jul 2024) She became the first athlete from any sport representing Singapore to win a gold medal at the Paralympic Games when she triumphed in the S3 50m backstroke at the 2008 Games in Beijing. (SportsDeskOnline, 28 May 2019; channelnewsasia.com, 16 Dec 2008) Awards: In 2019, 2021, 2022, and 2023 she was named Sportswoman of the Year at the Singapore Disability Sports Awards. (straitstimes.com, 16 Nov 2023; youthopia.sg, 06 Jul 2022; sg.news.yahoo.com, 07 Aug 2019) She received the Emerging Leadership award at the 2022 International Women's Day Recognition Awards presented by the International Paralympic Committee [IPC]. (paralympic.org, 08 Mar 2022) In 2022 she received the inaugural President's Award for Inspiring Achievement from the president of Singapore. (channelnewsasia.com, 11 Feb 2022) She was flag bearer for Singapore at the opening ceremony of the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. She performed the same role at the opening ceremonies of the 2016 European Championships in Funchal, Portugal, and the 2015 Association of Southeast Asian Nations [ASEAN] Para Games in Singapore. (myinfo.rio2016.com, 06 Sep 2016; paralympic.org, 26 Apr 2016; insidethegames.biz, 03 Dec 2015) In 2015 she was named Athlete of the Year by The Straits Times newspaper in Singapore. (parliament.gov.sg, 01 Sep 2018) She was inducted into the Singapore Women's Hall of Fame in 2014. The following year she became the first Para athlete to be inducted into Singapore's Sports Hall of Fame. (todayonline.com, 13 May 2015; mindchamps.org, 12 Aug 2014) In 2014 she received the Outstanding Athlete Award from the Singapore Disability Sports Council. (parliament.gov.sg, 01 Sep 2018) She was given the Singapore Youth Award in 2010. (nlb.gov.sg, 17 Jun 2014) In 2008 she received the Meritorious Service Medal from the Prime Minister's Office in Singapore. (Facebook page, 25 Apr 2019; parliament.gov.sg, 01 Sep 2018) Additional Info: AIMS FOR PARIS She hopes to add to her total of five Paralympic gold medals at the 2024 Games in Paris. She made her debut at the Games as a 16-year-old in 2008 in Beijing. "It is about always wanting to be better and chasing the milliseconds, chasing any marginal gain that we can get. Mainly for me, it's the aerobic endurance, feeling connected in the water. You need to get a good feel of the water and activate the right parts. I don't know if 2024 will be my swansong. But I am really going to take each one like it might be the very last time I swim at the Paralympics and do my best for it." (straitstimes.com, 06 Aug 2023) PARLIAMENT She served as a Nominated Member of Parliament [NMP] in Singapore between 2018 and 2020, where her role was to provide non-partisan views. She has also been a member of the Safe Sport Task Force set up by Sport Singapore. "In the years that I've been swimming, there are two things that I'm happy I've done. One is winning medals. The other is I've helped create more awareness for Para sports in Singapore. People understand it a bit more now and know that it exists, and I hope to be able to continue doing that. So when I was given a platform to do it even better, I took it so that I can help Para sports grow in Singapore. I don't see myself as a role model. What I feel is a responsibility to give back to society, to continue advocating for Para sports, and help [it] grow. Sports has given me so much in life. I don't only want to give back to the Para community. I do hope to see a Singapore where everyone lives a more active and healthier lifestyle." (channelnewsasia.com, 11 Feb 2022; paralympic.org, 03 Dec 2020, 24 May 2019) OTHER ROLES She has been a member of the World Anti-Doping Agency [WADA] Athlete Committee. She has served as an ambassador for Swim Champ Kinesis, a company that runs swimming lessons in Singapore. She has served as chairman of the Singapore Para Athlete Commission, and as vice-chairperson on the working committee of The Purple Parade, a movement that promotes inclusion of people with an impairment in Singapore. (channelnewsasia.com, 11 Feb 2022; wada-ama.org, 25 Nov 2021; straitstimes.com, 01 Nov 2018; parliament.gov.sg, 01 Sep 2018) CO-AUTHOR In 2017 she co-authored a children's book called 'The Mermaid Who Became a Champion'. (straitstimes.com, 04 Sep 2017)