Patricia Chan

Pat Chan

Patricia Chan in 1966
Personal information
Full name	Patricia Chan Li-Yin
Nationality	Singapore
Born	(1954-04-12) 12 April 1954 (age 63) 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 Women's swimming Representing  Singapore Asian Games 1970 Bangkok 400 m freestyle 1970 Bangkok 4×100 m freestyle 1970 Bangkok 4×100 m medley 1966 Bangkok 100 m backstroke 1966 Bangkok 200 m medley 1966 Bangkok 4×100 m freestyle 1970 Bangkok 100 m freestyle 1970 Bangkok 200 m freestyle

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. 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. Chan was named the Best Sportswoman of Singapore for five consecutive years (1967–1971). In 2002, she was inducted into the Singapore Sports Council Hall of Fame and ranked fourth among Singapore's 50 greatest athletes.

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.

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. 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. Her other brother Mark Chan is a composer, while her elder sister, Victoria Chan-Palay is a prominent neuroscientist in the United States and Switzerland. Her niece, Marina, is an international swimmer.