After winning two gold medals at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio, an uptick in media attention seems expected. For 25-year-old Yip Pin Xiu, born with Charcot-Marie-Tooth neuropathy and swims in category S2, one magazine’s request piqued her interest.
The Singaporean edition of American men’s magazine Esquire featured Pin Xiu in their December 2016 issue, which was later republished online: ‘Yip Pin Xiu: Into the River of Champions’. The article is illustrated with seven stunning photographs of Pin Xiu in three different dresses from Amanda Lee Couture and MAX.TAN.
“There’s a lot more that goes behind a few photos,” said Pin Xiu, who spent almost an entire working day in the water, together with the diving and camera crew. “It was okay for me, because I’m comfortable in the water. But everybody [else] had to spend seven hours in the water even though they’re not used to it. And it really drained them so much.”
Pin Xiu started swimming at the age of five to maintain her strength and started swimming competitively at the age of 12 after being talent spotted. Being a swimmer, it’s second nature for Pin Xiu to hold her breath. So, it was a challenge to learn to use scuba diving equipment to breathe underwater.
“For me it was so unnatural. I’ve been swimming for so long and in water, you don’t breathe! [laughs] It’s strange for my entire face to be submerged in water and have to breathe. It took a while to get used to it.”
The diving gear was necessary in helping her get to and stay at the bottom of the 5m-deep pool. “At first, I tried without the oxygen tank, because I was a lot more comfortable without it. After going down to the bottom, I had to wait for them to adjust [the dress] before I could float up. But I couldn’t stay down long enough.”
There were three divers on hand to guide her down to the bottom. Once the dress was adjusted and everything was in place, Pin Xiu was given the signal to slowly float up. “It was hard also because I couldn’t wear goggles [and] had to open my eyes in water.”
Despite the challenges, the results were an otherworldly mix of tranquil weightlessness and ethereal grace.
“There’s so much behind the scenes you don’t normally see. I had a good time because the crew was fun to work with … I would totally do it again!”
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