Powering through the rough waters

By Cassandra Yeo

GOING SWIMMING: Lim finished with two goals at the 28th SEA Games.
PHOTO: Courtesy of athlete

Having successfully vanquished opponents at the 28th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, national swimmer Clement Lim will turn his attentions to a familiar foe — one that has plagued him more than any competitor in the pool.

The swimmer, who bagged two gold medals and established two new Games Records (GR), suffers from Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS), a condition that causes swelling to the vertebrae, back pains and stiffness.

The rigours of the SEA Games, coupled with Lim’s condition, means the second-year student at the School of Sports Science and Management (SSM) will need to take time off to rehabilitate his shoulder.

The 22-year-old said: “I am taking a break from swimming to catch up on my school work and to allow my body to recover completely.”

Lim said the first sign of trouble surfaced when he was serving National Service in August 2012. He was admitted to the National University Hospital after losing his vision in the right eye, a result of Uveitis — one of the first signs of AS.

Fortunately, this vision loss was temporary.

What affected his performance more, however, was a persistent pain in his back.

According to Lim, a simple tumble turn to change directions by pushing off the pool walls could trigger back pains. Common colds and other illnesses would also exacerbate the back pains.

On top of battling AS, Lim had to cope with multiple other injuries.

In the year he was diagnosed with AS, he had to undergo two shoulder surgeries. By then, the surgeries to treat a tendon tear in his shoulders had already been delayed by four years due to trainings and competitions.

Lim revealed that despite the two operations, his shoulder injuries have not completely healed.

Beating the odds

However, Lim who described himself as a “stubborn” athlete, refused to fold in the face of overwhelming odds.

His reason for persevering was simply due to the fact that his competitions were approaching at the time of his AS diagnosis.

The 22-year-old said: “I have never thought about giving up on swimming and especially
with upcoming competitions and trainings then, I did not really have time to be upset.”

Lim pressed on and secured a gold and a silver medal in the 4x100m Freestyle Relay and 4x100m Medley Relay respectively in the 2013 Myanmar SEA Games.
Despite going through an AS flare­-up in April 2014, Lim went on to clock a personal best of 23.26s in the Men’s 50m Freestyle Category at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

This year’s SEA Games was the cherry on the cake when Lim, together with Quah Zheng Wen, Joseph Schooling and Danny Yeo, set a new GR in the Men’s 4x100m Freestyle Relay with a timing of 3:19.59s.

He then teamed up with Schooling, Quah and Lionel Khoo, and finished first in the Men’s 4x100m Medley Relay, smashing yet another GR, with a timing of 3:38.25s.
Unwavering support

But mention his feats in the pool, and Lim is quick to play down his achievements, highlighting how he owes his current success to his family members — his mother in particular.

“My day usually starts as early as 5.30am but my mother would always wake up earlier to prepare breakfast for me,” said Lim.

Lim’s mother would also always be around to celebrate his wins and motivate him when the going gets tough.

Besides his family, Lim draws strength from his teammates of eight years — Schooling and Quah — whose words of encouragement motivate him to train harder despite persistent backaches and stiffness.

“They would tell me how much they need me in the team and emphasise on finishing every race strongly together,” said Lim.

Next step forward

Although he is taking a short hiatus from swimming, Lim revealed he still has one more goal in mind — the Olympics.

Lim’s 4×100 medley relay team are currently ranked 16th in the world and they hope to qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

He added: “The Olympics is the most prestigious sporting event in the world, and it’s every athlete’s dream to make it there. If we do make it to the Olympics, it will be my top priority to train and compete in it.”