Leslie Kwok

Leslie Kwok Ying Wah (born 12 November 1973) is a Singaporean former swimmer, who specialized in sprint freestyle events and later turned into an actor, entrepreneur, and a part-time professional model.[1] He earned three bronze medals each in the 50 m freestyle from the Southeast Asian Games, and later represented Singapore at the 2000 Summer Olympics. Kwok is also an Anglo-Chinese School alumnus, and later a graduate with a bachelor of science degree in civil and structural engineering at Nanyang Technological University.[2]

Leslie Kwok
Personal information
Full nameLeslie Kwok Ying Wah
National team Singapore
Born (1973-11-12) 12 November 1973
Height1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight78 kg (172 lb)
Sport
SportSwimming
StrokesFreestyle
ClubChinese Swimming Club
Medal record
Men's swimming
Representing Singapore
Southeast Asian Games
1997 Jakarta 50 m freestyle
1999 Brunei 50 m freestyle
2005 Manila 50 m freestyle

Kwok competed for Singapore in the men's 50 m freestyle at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. He achieved a FINA B-cut of 23.72 from the Southeast Asian Games in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei.[3][4] He challenged seven other swimmers in heat four, including Kyrgyzstan's Sergey Ashihmin, Goodwill Games silver medalist for Russia, and Kazakhstan's two-time Olympian Sergey Borisenko. Diving in with a 0.73-second deficit, Kwok scorched the entire race to share a fourth seed with Peru's Luis López Hartinger in an exact time of 24.00, but finished outside an entry standard. Kwok failed to advance into the semifinals, as he placed forty-ninth overall in the prelims.[5][6]

At the 2005 Southeast Asian Games in Manila, Kwok added a third bronze to his six-year-old hardware in the 50 m freestyle (23.58), finishing behind Indonesia's veteran Richard Sam Bera and Thailand's newcomer Arwut Chinnapasaen by more than half a second (0.50).

In early 2006, Kwok announced his official retirement from swimming to extend his resume in entrepreneurship and other lifestyle businesses. As a part-time professional model, he has appeared in several sports magazines, print ad campaigns, and TV commercials, and has featured on the cover of a popular Asian woman magazine Female. A top-class entrepreneur, Kwok currently owns a massage and health spa called Elements Spa & Slimming, founded in April 2002.[7][8]

References
  1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Leslie Kwok". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
  2. "Nanyang Outstanding Young Alumni Award – Sport and Excellence: Mr. Kwok Ying Wah Leslie" (PDF). Nanyang Technological University. February 2006. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 December 2008. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
  3. "Swimming – Men's 50m Freestyle Startlist (Heat 4)" (PDF). Sydney 2000. Omega Timing. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  4. "Richard good as gold in 50m freestyle". Jakarta: The Jakarta Post. 12 August 1999. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  5. "Sydney 2000: Swimming – Men's 50m Freestyle Heat 4" (PDF). Sydney 2000. LA84 Foundation. p. 104. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 August 2011. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  6. "Results from the Summer Olympics – Swimming (Men's 50m Freestyle)". Canoe.ca. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
  7. "Get on Bod". The Star (Malaysia). 9 January 2007. Archived from the original on 20 June 2013. Retrieved 10 June 2013.
  8. Tay, Suan Chiang (27 April 2013). "Leading the charge". Business Times (Singapore). Retrieved 10 June 2013.
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