High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Thum Ping Tjin (born December 17, 1979), better known as PJ, is the first Singaporean to swim the English Channel. He is also the first Oxford University graduate to do so. He was a member of the Singapore national swimming team and has represented Singapore at every level, including the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. He is a Rhodes Scholar and Commonwealth Scholar. In July 2004, PJ decided to swim the channel after successfully participating in the 2004 Cross-Channel Varsity Match. PJ was trying to swim in August 2005, and he trained in Singapore throughout the year leading up to the event. In June 2005, he left for the United Kingdom to train further. PJ plunged into the cold waters of the Channel on 6 August, a few days later than expected due to stormy conditions, as the weather looked calm.