Photo credits to Sport Singapore
SMU School of Social Sciences undergraduate and national para-swimmer Yip Pin Xiu etched her name into the record books on 16 September morning (Singapore time) when she became the first Singaporean to win multiple gold medals at the Paralympic Games. Pin Xiu clinched gold in the women's 50m backstroke S2 event at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium in Rio. It was her second gold in Brazil - she won the 100m back S2 last week in a world-record time. Her split of 59.38sec in the first lap was also a world record in the 50m back S2. This was her fourth Paralympic medal overall after collecting a gold and silver at Beijing 2008, making her one of Asia's most successful female para-swimmers. Such was the magnitude of her achievement that a host of politicians, including Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and President Tony Tan Keng Yam, lauded her accomplishment on social media.