'I just chose to deal with it and move on': Swimmer Teong Tzen Wei on putting the drug controversy behind him

SINGAPORE: At times, it felt like he was in the midst of a storm, recalled Singapore swimmer Teong Tzen Wei.

Last September, Sport Singapore (SportSG) named him as the third national swimmer, after Joseph Schooling and Amanda Lim, to be investigated for drug-related offences.

All three had confessed to consuming controlled drugs overseas, but their drug tests came back negative during investigations by the Central Narcotics Bureau, SportSG said previously.

On top of the incessant spotlight and the unrelenting scrutiny, there was uncertainty over possible sanctions from sporting authorities.

But amid all this, the 25-year-old made a decision to move forward and put the past behind him. 

On Wednesday (Apr 12), when he fielded questions from CNA on the drug controversy, Teong said he confronted "the darkest deepest demons" during that period.

He told himself he would turn the bad into good. "So that next time one day down the road, I can tell people – I went through shit, you can too. You can become better."

SportSG issued Teong, Schooling and Lim letters of warning, and suspended support for the three swimmers for a month. This meant that the three carded athletes under the high-performance scheme did not receive training assistance grants or have access to sports science and sports medicine facilities and services.

Teong said he has always been a positive person.

"When it rains, I like to run in the rain because it makes me feel good. So in using that analogy – it was raining, it was a thunderstorm, (there was a) tornado," he said.

Months later, Teong finished fourth in the final of the men's 50m butterfly at the 2022 FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) in Melbourne. His time of 22.01 seconds equalled the Asian record he set a day earlier in the heats.

"I may not have achieved my goal of breaking the world record, but I think I can probably say that I went there and achieved things that most people would have ... shied away from," he said.

Since December last year, Teong has been especially active on Instagram, sharing photos and videos of his training sessions, workouts and approach to swimming. 

While the swimmer never saw himself as a public figure previously, Teong now recognises that it comes with the territory and tries to use his public persona to inspire others.

"Now I'm trying to turn it around and to see maybe how I can inspire people. So that's why I've been trying to grow my Instagram (following)," he said.

"It came to a point where, you know what ... I just chose to deal with it and move on."

Teong has never been one to dwell on things that already happened.

After becoming the first Southeast Asian swimmer to go under 22 seconds in the 50m freestyle at the 2022 SEA Games in Hanoi, he told CNA in May last year: "Bad races, good races. Honestly, you just learn from it and then you try to get better." 

The same applies to his past. 

"You cannot discount your past, you cannot regret your past. You are where you are now because of that," said Teong.

A "CLEAN SLATE"

The swimmer will be one of Singapore's headline acts at the SEA Games in Cambodia next month, and is preparing for the regional meet.

It has been by no means easy, he revealed. A longer-than-usual runway for preparation – about 18 weeks – has stretched him further than usual.

"In terms of the prep, it was pretty hard. If I'm being honest with you, I'm slowly climbing out of the hole and I'm seeing the light. Three more weeks is a perfect time to slowly get there – crawl, crawl, crawl, crawl, and finally get to the top," Teong said.

The Singapore swimmer will go into the Games as the defending champion in the 50m butterfly and 50m freestyle, having set Games records in both events last year.

But he is not interested in focusing on records or medals.

"When you do that, you set yourself up for a lot of challenges. I don't like to give myself any more hard work than I need to, I'm already doing something that's pretty difficult," he said.

"So why give yourself extra problems? ... I’m a clean slate. I may have more experience under my belt and I'm thankful for that. But I still feel as if every SEA Games is my first Games, you've got to be excited to race and just go out there and see what you can do."

That clarity of mind is key when going into races, Teong said, adding: "If you are still, you are stoic. In that moment, that’s all it takes."

With the drug controversy now consigned to the past, he is once again ready to attack the lanes.