Swim stars Yip and Goh in different places over Tokyo 2020
Paralympic stars Yip and Goh get three months off, before revealing their big decision
They have been practically inseparable since 2008, sharing each other's joys, worries and pain, travelling around the world to train and compete.
They have shed blood, sweat and tears and it has paid off for Paralympian swimmers Yip Pin Xiu and Theresa Goh, after they both enjoyed success in Rio earlier this month.
Yip won two gold medals in S2 backstroke events at the 2016 Paralympics, while Goh collected her first-ever medal with a bronze in the women's 100m breaststroke SB4.
The two athletes arrived home yesterday morning and, at a press conference later in the afternoon at the Singapore Sports Institute, both were unsure if they would continue on to Tokyo 2020, although Yip, 24, seems more keen to push on.
"I don't know if I want to go for Tokyo as of now, but I know I want to swim competitively for a couple more years, and we will see how things are," said the winner of the women's S2 50m and 100m backstroke events in Rio, who added that she is "70 per cent" sure she wants to campaign for Tokyo.
For Goh, 29, the bronze medal is one to cherish, after she finished fourth in the same event in Beijing 2008 amid high expectations, which then led to a brief hiatus from the sport.
Now, with the dream of realising her potential fulfilled, Goh is "torn" between staying and leaving a sport that has become part of her identity.
She said: "I am torn because there's so much support, it's almost a waste to end my career.
"But they also say, end on a high... there's always a desire to chase the best possible outcome, but it is also important to know when to walk away."
Both swimmers have been given a three-month break by coach Mick Massey and will make a decision at the end of it.
Whether the two decorated swimmers decide to call time on their careers or not, Singapore National Paralympic Council (SNPC) chairman Teo-Koh Sock Miang says the future of para-sports is bright, after the watershed Asean Para Games (APG) at home last December, along with the team's successful outing in Rio.
BREAKTHROUGH
For the first time, Singapore fielded athletes in all 15 sports at last year's regional Games, and had a record 13 athletes representing the nation in six sports in Rio.
Teo-Koh said: "This (Paralympics) is a breakthrough Games - it is the first time we had two gold medals, and we are ranked higher than Japan, who did not have any gold medals.
"We'd definitely have more athletes in Tokyo... we can only go forward."
Singapore's chef-de-mission Ho Cheng Kwee, who is also the honorary treasurer for SNPC and honorary assistant treasurer at the Singapore Disability Sports Council, is confident that more sponsors will come in, with the raised profile of disability sports here after the APG and Paralympics.
He said: "After the APG, quite a few companies have already come forward wanting to help us raise funds... and I am confident that more will come forward, and with even bigger amounts."
Singapore's 2016 Paralympic medal winners have both vowed to give back to the sports scene when they eventually call time on their careers, even if Yip's condition - she suffers from degenerative muscular dystrophy - may deteriorate in the future.
The chirpy swimmer said: "I don't worry so much because if I do, it's just wasteful because I am focusing on something that I cannot control.
"Why not just control things that I can and just live every day to the fullest? If I worry about tomorrow, I might not do as well as I can today.
"I might not be as productive because I'll think I should save a bit more energy for tomorrow.
"As athletes, we really need to put in our best every day and to live our lives to the fullest."
I don’t know if I want to go for Tokyo as of now, but I know I want to swim competitively for a couple more years, and we will see how things are.
— Yip Pin Xiu
Call goes out for more funds for para athletes
Singapore National Paralympic Council (SNPC) chairman Teo-Koh Sock Miang yesterday encouraged private corporations to support the funding of para-athletes and para-sports.
She spoke on the sidelines of the media conference with Singapore Paralympic stars Yip Pin Xiu and Theresa Goh, after SNPC's honorary treasurer Ho Cheng Kwee revealed that the Tote Board once again played a vital role for the 2016 Rio Games.
"The Tote board are the major contributors but, for this round, they are the only contributors (until now). They don't have to be," said Ho.
Swimmers Yip and Goh have been feted after their exploits at the 2016 Paralympic Games, which ended in Rio on Sunday.
Yip won two gold medals and Goh made a breakthrough with her first medal when she finished third in the 100m breaststroke SB4.
In a bid to attract more support, Teo-Koh said: "Corporations need to step up to the plate and not say, 'everything is the government'.
"My take to (these corporations) is: what is your role in all of this? Don't always point your finger at someone else."
There has been an ongoing debate in the country over monetary rewards for Paralympians medallists and Olympic winners.
Ho, though, believes that funding for the development of para-sports was even more crucial compared to prize money.
"More important (than the prize money) is really the funding for the development of sports, para-sports in Singapore," said Ho.
"That's the key because, without that funding and the development programmes that Singapore Disabled Sports Council runs, we're not going to find these 13 athletes."
As for Singapore's two Paralympic stars, the prize money they will get will be a bonus.
Singapore Olympic gold-medallist Joseph Schooling was awarded $1 million for his triumph in Rio, while a Paralympic gold medal will get $200,000.
"(The money) is not something that we swim for. Honestly, if it were, I would have quit a long time ago," said Goh.
"It is something like a bonus. If it comes to us, it comes to us. But in the end, it's because of the joy and the satisfaction we get after our achievements."
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