Neo Chwee Kok, John Paul (Chinese: 梁水国; pinyin: Liáng Shuǐguó; 31 May 1931 – 23 January 1987) was a legendary Singaporean swimmer who competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics. He was ranked third in a list of Singapore's 50 Greatest Athletes of the Century by The Straits Times in 1999.[3]
 Neo at the 1952 Summer Olympics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Neo Chwee Kok, John Paul[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname | Flying Fish | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team | Singapore | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 31 May 1931[2] Singapore[2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 23 January 1987 (aged 55)[1] Singapore | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Swimming | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Strokes | Freestyle | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Early life
editNeo was born the fifth child in a family of eight in Singapore but grew up on Pulau Sambu, Riau, Indonesia.[2]
Swimming career
editIn 1951, Neo was part of the Singapore contingent participating at the inaugural Asian Games.[4] Neo won 400m, 800m and 1,500m and the 4x100m freestyle events and a silver at the 3x100m medley event.[4]
In 1952, Neo was selected for the 1952 Summer Olympics held in Helsinki, Finland.[5]
After retiring from competitive swimming, Neo became a coach at Singapore Swimming Club.[5]
Personal life
editOn 23 January 1987, Neo died of cancer at the age of 55.[5][6]
References
edit- ^ a b "Obituary - Mr Neo Chwee Kok, John Paul". The Straits Times. 24 January 1987. p. 30.
- ^ a b c Aplin, Nick; et al. (2012). Suryadinata, Leo (ed.). Southeast Asian Personalities of Chinese Descent: A Biographical Dictionary. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. pp. 759–762.
- ^ "Here's the full list". The Straits Times. 19 December 1999. p. 52.
- ^ a b Lee, David (10 May 2024). "Singapore Aquatics over 85 years". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 19 August 2024.
- ^ a b c Johnson, Albert (24 January 1987). "Flying Fish' Chwee Kok dies". The Straits Times. p. 31. Retrieved 20 August 2024 – via NewspaperSG.
- ^ Jalleh Jr, Ken (1 February 1987). "Death ends an illustrious era, but Chwee Kok's legacy lives on". The Straits Times. p. 19.
External links
edit- Neo Chwee Kok at World Aquatics
- Neo Chwee Kok at Olympics.com
- Neo Chwee Kok at Olympedia
- Neo Chwee Kok at the Singapore National Olympic Council
- Neo Chwee Kok at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)
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