 Chan in 1966 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Patricia Chan Li-Yin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Singapore | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 12 April 1954 Colony of Singapore | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 64 kg (141 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Swimming | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Strokes | Backstroke, Freestyle, Medley | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Chinese Swimming Club | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Patricia Chan Li-Yin (陈丽燕; born 12 April 1954), popularly known as Pat Chan and the "Golden Girl", is a retired swimmer from Singapore. Between 1965 and 1973 she won 39 gold medals at Southeast Asian Games, which was the best achievement for a Singaporean athlete in any sport until 2005. She competed in eight events at the 1966 and 1970 Asian Games and won 3 silver and 5 bronze medals.[1] At the 1970 Games she set a national record in the 200 m backstroke that stood for 23 years. At the 1972 Summer Olympics she was the flag bearer for Singapore and competed in the 100 m and 200 m backstroke events, but failed to reach the finals.[2] Chan was named the Best Sportswoman of Singapore for five consecutive years (1967–1971).[3] In 2002, she was inducted into the Singapore Sports Council Hall of Fame and ranked fourth among Singapore's 50 greatest athletes.[4]
Chan retired from competitions in 1973, aged 19, to become the first Singaporean female professional coach. She later turned to journalism, and currently runs her own media company, Visus Inq.[4]
Patricia and her siblings were coached by their father, Chan Ah Kow, the Singaporean Coach of the Year in 1970 and 1971. Her brother Roy Chan Kum Wah, won a bronze medal at the 1970 Asian Games in the 4×200 m relay.[1][5][6] Her two other brothers, Alex Chan Meng Wah and Bernard Chan Cheng Wah, were swimmers too; the latter competed at the 1966 Asian Games and 1964 Summer Olympics.[7][8] Her other brother Mark Chan is a composer,[9][10] while her elder sister, Victoria Chan-Palay is a prominent neuroscientist in the United States and Switzerland.[11] Her niece, Marina, is an international swimmer.[12]
