By Jyn Cheong, MediaCorp TV

The popular 80s’ swimming drama The Flying Fish catapulted the boyish Wang Yuqing to idol-hood. Will it do the same for the cast of new swimming drama The Champion?

Making its debut on Channel 8 on October 20 at 9pm, The Champion is an all new drama series with a drool-worthy cast of hunks and babes, with taut bodies and great tans to boot!

Starring MediaCorp’s rising stars Fiona Xie, Jeanette Aw, Felicia Chin and Qi Yuwu, the 20-parter revolves around the lives of a team of swimmers and the tough training they have to undergo when a new coach takes over the team.

Local babes and hunk aside, viewers can also feast on the likes of Taiwanese stars Toro and Yan Xingshu. The former plays a star water polo player while the latter is the strict coach brought in to whip the team of underperforming female swimmers into shape.

At Goodwood Park Hotel’s poolside where the press launch was held on Wednesday, cameras went a-clicking at the arrival of the stars including Toro and Johnny Yan Xingshu who specially flew in from Taiwan.

Hosted by actress/DJ Michelle Liow, Yuwu initially got everyone on their feet when he walked in with his crutches. Michelle clarified that it was not a gimmick and the actor had in fact sprained his ankle while jogging a week ago.

Everyone burst into laughter when Toro made a mischievous entrance when he sat on a make-believe chair next to Malaysian actress Jessica Lao, who plays Yuwu’s love interest in the drama.

Amongst the 4 actresses present, Felicia was the only one who dressed to fit her role as a swimmer. The slim and tall actress looked ready to run a marathon with her sporty look – track pants, singlet and a screaming pink jacket! Jessica looked chic with her nude coloured spaghetti top and jeans while Jeanette was a picture of casual elegance with her black denim tube pant suit. Looking sexy and hip was Fiona in a fuchsia top with beige pants. A pair of cool mocha-coloured sunglasses sat on her pretty nose as she fielded questions from the floor.

And with their gloriously tanned bodies which seemed to glisten in the outdoor press conference, we regretted not bringing along a pair of shades.

The cast spoke candidly about their experiences during filming.

Recalling the scene where Fiona, Jeanette and Felicia had to run about in the busy streets of Orchard Road, Fiona, looking radiant with her sun-bronzed skin, said: “Bikinis and sun tanning are not my cup of tea. So it was really embarrassing for me and the rest of us!”

Felicia chimed in: “What made it worse was this lecherous old man who just kept waving at us wherever we turned!” Xingshu added cheekily, “Actually we (referring to him and Toro) were there too! But we walked off the moment they put on their robes!”

Like true troopers, the three girls decided to ignore the stares of curious onlookers and just ran ahead.

With rumors about Toro and Fiona being an item flying around, it was not surprising that local journos went straight for the kill by quizzing the two on their chemistry in the one-on-one interviews.

The Taiwanese press had earlier reported that Toro carries a picture of a bikini-clad Fiona in his wallet. The picture was said to be taken when Toro and co-star were present at the filming of the bikini scene.

More beans were spilled when the executive producer Yeo Saik Pin said in candid innocence that two particular stars annoyingly kept taking kissing pictures themselves during filming. To top it off, he continued, “Try asking the filming crew, if you don’t believe!” An air of awkwardness overcame the originally light-hearted atmosphere and a sense of quiet fell on the initially good-humoured cast.

Though no names were mentioned, it was enough to set eyes roving and some reporters were mentally taking notes. At the point, a scowl seemed to have mysteriously planted itself on Toro’s handsome face.

And perhaps it was an over imagination on our part but did we sense that both stars tried to keep a distance from each other? And were they trying to avoid being photographed together? Like when we tried to get a picture of Toro and Fiona together, his manager asked plainly, “Can we not take the picture?”

These answers may never come but if you’re wondering who has got the best bod and curves, all will be revealed when The Champion makes a splash on Channel 8 come October 20, weekdays at 9pm!

This post was tagged with the following: Drama > The Champion 任我遨游, Media > MediaCorp TV