18-year-old Welson Smashes National Record To Qualify For Rio Olympics

(File pix) The 18-year-old Welson Sim is the first Malaysian swimmer to dip under the Olympic A time of 3:50.40 achieved at the very same venue where he won his first Sea Games gold medal in the same event last year.

KUALA LUMPUR: Welson Sim made history when the swimmer met the 'A' time for the Rio Olympic Games in the men's 400m freestyle at the Singapore national age-group swimming met at OCBC Aquatic Centre today. 

Welson smashed his national record of 3:52.83 set at the World Cup in Doha last November en route to winning the final with 3:50.33. The 18-year-old is the first Malaysian swimmer to dip under the Olympic A time of 3:50.40 achieved at the very same venue where he won his first Sea Games gold medal in the same event last year. 

An Ting Yao of Taiwan took silver in 3:55.45 ahead of Singapore's bronze medallist Yeo Kai Quan (4:02.18). The Sarawakian would have taken bronze with his new national record at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games. 

National coach Paul Birmingham described Welson's achievement as outstanding. "I am happy with his result. "It's just taken more race practice to get the pacing better," said Birmingham. 

Besides swimming, Malaysia now have qualified for archery, track cycling, diving, shooting and sailing for Rio Olympics.

Read More : http://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/03/133400/18-year-old-welson-smashes-national-record-qualify-rio-olympics

MSSM: Rosalind Closes On A High

Rosalind Pang of Selangor capped her Malaysian Schools Sports Council (MSSM) swimming championships campaign with another two wins to bring her total haul to eight gold on the final day of competition. Pix by Mohd Asri Saifuddin Mamat

SHAH ALAM: Rosalind Pang of Selangor capped her Malaysian Schools Sports Council (MSSM) swimming championships campaign with another two wins to bring her total haul to eight gold on the final day of competition today. 

Despite having to compete against older swimmers, Rosalind bagged the girls under-18 400m freestyle gold in a time of four minutes and 51.06 seconds at the Darul Ehsan Aquatics Complex in Shah Alam. 

The Sri Kuala Lumpur student then teamed up with Shannen Kay Chan, Nessa Yip and Liew Chern Xin to help Selangor win the under-15 100m freestyle relay in 4:18.38s. 

Rosalind had also won eight gold in her final year in the under-12 category in 2013. No records were broken yesterday, though Selangor's Jordan Yip added another two wins in the boys' under-18 200m butterfly (2:13:85s) as well as the 100m freestyle relay (3:39.47s), where he teammed up with Ooi Joo Vern, Khoo Yee Shen and Tan Tsien Ee. 

It brought his haul to a staggering 12 gold. Although Rosalind and Jordan amassed the medals it was not enough to see them claim the best overall swimmer awards, which is based on the ability to break records with older records counting for more. 

Sabah's Janetty J. Fabian took the best female swimmer award. She had broken fellow Sabahan Leung Chii Lin's 13-year-old record en route to winning the under-12 50m backstroke. 

Best male swimmer went to Sebastian Soon of Selangor as he broke Tia'a Faang Der's (Johor) four-year-old record when he won the boys' under-15 200m individual medley. 

As expected, Selangor again emerged the overall champions of the MSSM Aquatics competition, which also includes water polo and diving, with a 63 gold, 35 silver and 16 bronze haul. The Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur came in second on 17-20-22 while Malacca were third on 7-9-12.

Read More : http://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/03/133344/mssm-rosalind-closes-high

Yip Yip Hooray For Jordan As He Makes It 12 In MSSM

Selangor’s swimmer Jordan Yip (second from left) posing with his teammates after winning the 400m freestyle event at the Shah Alam Aquatic Centre. – S.S KANESAN/The Star

SHAH ALAM: It’s a dazzling dozen for Jordan Yip.

The Selangor swimmer has won a stunning 12 out of the 15 events he took part in the boys’ 16-18 age category at the National Schools Sports Council (MSSM) swimming championships at the Shah Alam Aquatic Centre.

With 10 gold medals already in the bag, he went into Thursday’s final day of the swimming championships hoping to win three more.

He won two.

First, he won the 200m butterfly in 2:13.85, beating team-mate Ooi Joo Vern (2:15.48) and Sabah’s Wong Venn Chieh (2:15.76).

Then, he anchored the Selangor quartet to a victory in the 4x100m freestyle relay. Jordan, Joo Vern, Khoo Yee Shen and Tan Tsien Ee posted 3:39.47 – about a second off the championship mark set by another Selangor quartet in 2014.

He failed to make it three golds out of three when he could only finish sixth in the 400m freestyle.

Still, his 12-gold achievement was enough for him to be named the best overall swimmer in his age group.

Jordan had earlier won golds in the 50m, 100m and 200m freestyle; 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke; 100m butterfly; 200m and 400m individual medley; and 4x100m medley.

He also bagged two silvers in the 50m butterfly and 200m breaststroke.

“There were some good and some not-so-good performances from me over the past five days, but I  really could not have asked for a better way to mark my last MSSM appearance with 12 gold medals,” said Jordan.

“Now, I hope to do well in Sukma (Malaysian Games in Sarawak in July).

“I’m giving myself another year or two to make the national team. Then, from there, I hope to kick start my Tokyo 2020 dream. I’m also looking to further my studies in the United States, where I hope to enhance my swimming career.

“I may be versatile ... but I hope to work harder to become the country’s top backstroke and individual medley specialist in the future.”

Selangor, who were confirmed as overall champions on Wednesday, ended their campaign with an astonishing haul of 63 golds, 35 silvers and 16 bronzes. Kuala Lumpur (17-20-22) were second and Malacca (7-9-12) third.

Sabah’s Janetty Fabian was named the best overall female swimmer for setting a new record of 33.95 en route to winning the Under-12 50m backstroke event. Her time broke fellow Sabahan Leung Chii Lin’s 13-year-old mark of 34.12.

Selangor’s Sebastian Soon was named the best male swimmer for breaking Johor swimmer Tia’a Faang Der’s four-year-old record in the Under-15 200m individual medley event. Sebastian clocked 2:14.73 to erase the old mark of 2:14.94.

Only six meet records were set in the five-day meet compared to nine last year.

http://www.thestar.com.my/sport/swimming/2016/03/17/jordan-bags-two-more-to-make-it-amazing-dozen/

Swimmer Welson Qualifies For Olympics In Style

Welsom Sim first Malaysian swimmer to qualify for the Olympic Games under category A.

PETALING JAYA: Welson Sim has become the first Malaysian swimmer to have qualified for the Olympic Games under category A.

He made the historic breakthrough in the men’s 400m freestyle at the Singapore national age-group swimming championships at the OCBC Aquatic Centre.

Welson also smashed his own national record of 3:52.83, set at the World Cup meet in Doha last November, en route to winning the final in 3:50.33 on Thursday

Taiwan’s An Ting-yao (3:55.45) took silver and Singapore’s Yeo Kai Quan (4:02.18) the bronze.

The 18-year-old Welson thus becomes the first Malaysian swimmer to dip under the Olympic A time of 3:50.40.

He had twice beaten the B qualifying time at the World Cup meets last year.

But those times did not guarantee him a place at the Olympics since the new qualifying system came into effect at the 2012 Olympics in London.

His latest effort would have earned him the bronze at the Incheon Asian Games in 2014 behind the two giants of world swimming – China’s Sun Yang and South Korea’s Park Tae-hwan.

National swimming coach Paul Birmingham, who broke the news, said he was not surprised with Welson’s outstanding achievement.

“I’m really happy with his result. His training over the last six months showed that he could do it.

“It’s just taken him more race practices to get the pacing better.

“I’m thankful to the National Sports Council (NSC) for giving us the funding to race,” he said.

Besides swimming, Malaysia also have representatives in archery, track cycling, diving, shooting and sailing for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

http://www.thestar.com.my/sport/swimming/2016/03/17/swimmer-welson-stands-tall-after-winning-olympic-games-ticket/

MSSM Swimming: Jordan Notches New Meet Record, Gold No 10

 


Jordan Yip from Selangor took his haul to 10 gold medals on the penultimate day of the Malaysian Schools Sports Council (MSSM) swimming championships today, placing himself in prime position to take the Male Swimmer of the Games title. Pix by Muhmmad Sulaiman

  

SELANGOR’S Jordan Yip notched an impressive 10th gold medal on the penultimate day of the Malaysian Schools Sports Council (MSSM) swimming championships on Wednesday.

Jordan looks set to bag the male swimmer of the Games award after winning the Under-18 400m individual medley in a new meet record of four minutes and 43.51 seconds at the Darul Ehsan Aquatics Complex in Shah Alamy, bettering the previous mark of 4:44.73s set by Johor’s Tia’a Faang Der in 2013.

He then went on to win the 50m freestyle in 24.71s and then teamed up with Ng Yi Hao, Ooi Joo Vern and Yee Shen Khoo to give Selangor the 400m medley relay gold on 4:05.84s.

The 17-year-old also bagged the silver in the 200m breaststroke behind Yi Hao, who won in 2:26.00s.

Jordan had earlier in the competition won the 100m butterfly, 100m-200m freestyle, 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke and the 200m IM.

RESULTS

Boys’ Under-12

50m freestyle relay: 1 Lim Kai Hen (Sel) 28.56s, 2 Muhammad Suhairi Mohd (M’cca) 29.40s, 3 Arhadin Prome (Lbn) 29.42s.

200m medley relay: 1 Selangor 2:16.65s, 2 Sarawak 2:20.42s, 3 FT Kuala Lumpur 2:20.81s.

Boys’ Under-15

50m freestyle: 1 Iqmal Muqhis Faizal (FT KL) 25.29s, 2 Zachary Adam Tan (Swk) 25.51s, 3 Sean Goh (Sel) 25.82s.

200m breaststroke: 1 Sean Goh (Sel) 2:30.92s, 2 Ng Jing Fu (Sel) 2:31.80s, 3 Low Zheng Yong (M’cca) 2:39.38s.

400m medley relay: 1 Selangor 4:14.16s, 2 FT Kuala Lumpur 4:15.71s, 3 Sarawak 4:25.91s.

Boys’ Under-18

50m freestyle: 1 Jordan Yip (Sel) 24.71s, 2 Khoo Yee Shen (Sel) 24.77s, 3 Hii Puong Hou (Swk) 25.14s.

200m breaststroke: 1 Ng Yi Hao (Sel) 2:26.00s, 2 Jordan Yip (Sel) 2:27.26s, 3 Tan Choon Fatt (Swk) 2:33.56s.

400m individual medley: 1 Jordan Yip (Sel) 4:43.51s, 2 Low Zheng Yong (M’cca) 4:53.13s, 3 Wong Venn Chieh (Sab) 4:55.76s.

400m medley relay: 1 Selangor 4:05.84s, 2 Sarawak 4:13.02s, 3 FT Kuala Lumpur 4:14.58s.

Girls’ Under-12

50m freestyle: 1 Elise Wong (Sel) 29.18s, 2 Yasmin Batrisya Zahiruddin (Sel) 30.20s, 3 Ng Zhi Syuen (KL) 30.34s.

200m medley relay: 1 Selangor 2:14.70s, 2 Perak 2:23.06s, 3 KL 2:25.57s.

Under-15

50m freestyle: 1 Cheng Ka Man (Sab) 28.27s, 2 Liew Chern Xin (Sel) 28.36s, 3 Lim Xiao Wei (Per) 28.82s.

200m breaststroke: 1 Angelina Chan (Sel) 2:49.91s, 2 Anjali Lim (KL) 2:52.30s, 3 Keesha Ho (Pen) 2:53.07s.

400m medley relay: 1 Selangor 4:48.07s, 2 FT Kuala Lumpur 4:56.42s, 3 Penang 5:00.72s.

Under-18

50m freestyle: 1 Elynn Tan (Pen) 27.36s, 2 Tan Tyng (Swk) 28.25s, 3 Fatin Amira Ahmad Hadri (Sel) 28.31s.

200m breaststroke: 1 Kimberly Ong (KL) 2:57.17s, 2 Lai Yan Ying (NS) 2:59.04s, 3 Chiang Hui Ning (Joh) 3:01.74s.

400m individual medley: 1 Ong Yong Qi (Joh) 5:17.85s, 2 Anjali Lim (KL) 5:21.81s, 3 Goh Chia Tong (M’cca) 5:27:25s.

http://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/03/133127/mssm-swimming-jordan-notches-new-meet-record-gold-no-10

Tenacious Jordan Swims To 10 Golds In MSSM Meet

SHAH ALAM: It’s 10 golds – and counting – for Selangor swimmer Jordan Yip at the National Schools Sports Council (MSSM).

The 17-year-old has bagged three more gold medals to take his tally to an awesome 10.

He was simply unstoppable at the Shah Alam Aquatic Centre here on Wednesday.

First, he romped home in the 50m freestyle in 24.71. Then, just like his idol Kosuke Hagino of Japan, Jordan showed his versatility by winning the 400m Open individual medley (IM) in record fashion – clocking 4:43.51 to erase the 4:44.73 set by Tia’a Faang Der of Johor in 2013.

Hagino won the 400m IM bronze medal at the London Olympics in 2012 and is one of only two Asians to have been named Swimmer of the Year.

Jordan’s third gold came when he swam the butterfly leg to help his Selangor team-mates Khoo Yee Shen, Ng Yi Hao and Ooi Joo Vern triumph in the 4x100m medley in 4:05.84.

Jordan had earlier won golds in the 100m and 200m freestyle; 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke; 100m butterfly; and 200m individual medley.

He also claimed a silver on Wednesday – clocking 2:27.26 to finish behind team-mate Yo Hao (2:26.00) in the 200m breaststroke.

It was his second silver in the meet, having finished second in the 50m butterfly on Sunday.

But he’s not done yet.

He has three more races on Thursday – 400m freestyle, 200m butterfly and 4x100m freestyle relay.

“I’ve won medals in all the events I entered for ... I will try to win three more on the final day tomorrow,” he said.

“I’m feeling good ... I’m happy to have clocked a personal best in the 400m individual medley.

“It was unexpected ... to break Faang Der’s meet record shows I’m on the right track.”

Jordan will switch his focus to the Malaysia Games (Sukma) in Kuching where he hopes to make a golden debut in the 200m and 400m individual medley events.

The Selangor quartet of Yasmin Batrisyia, Lim Shun Qi, Elise Wong and Amanda Sofea were the other record breakers on Wednesday.

They clocked 2:14.70 en route to winning the girls’ 12 and under 4x50m medley relay and erase the previous mark of 2:15.76, which they set last year.

Selangor are confirmed as the overall champions for aquatics with one day to go with a haul of 47-31-15. Kuala Lumpur (13-15-19) are second and Malacca (5-9-12) third.

http://www.thestar.com.my/sport/swimming/2016/03/16/jordan-yip-swims-with-ten-gold-medals-in-mssm/

Swimmer Jordan Starts Believing Again After Breakthrough At Asean School Meet



Jordan Yip at the 2016 MSSM meet at Shah Alam Aquatic Centre.


SHAH ALAM: Selangor teenager Jordan Yip nearly gave up swimming after a string of uninspiring results.

But an impressive outing at the Asean School Games in Brunei late last year, where he bagged two golds and two silvers, made him realise that he still had much to offer.

And he proved it again by pulling off his second double in as many days in the National Schools (MSSM) swimming championships at the Shah Alam Aquatic Centre.

The 17-year-old clocked 2:19.11 to beat team-mate Ooi Joo Vern (2:20.00) to the 200m backstroke title in the boys' 16-18 age group.

He then posted 57.18 to hold off Joo Vern again (59.05) in the 100m butterfly race to take his tally to four golds – with three days of competition to go.

Jordan had won the 100m backstroke and 200m freestyle gold medals on Sunday.

“I’m feeling good in the pool. I lacked training and motivation last year and the results weren’t good. But the Asean School Games gave me the confidence that I could still swim well. I think I’m slowly getting back to form,” said Jordan, who started swimming when he was eight.

Jordan intends to be good in all the four strokes, just like his favourite swimmer Kosuke Hagino of Japan. Hagino is a former World Swimmer of the Year winner and bronze medallist at the 2012 London Olympics.

Jordan will get a chance to do just that when he competes in the 100m freestyle, 50m backstroke and 200m individual medley on Tuesday.

Hosts Selangor raked in eight more gold medals on Monday to take their tally to 22 from 42 events so far.

http://www.thestar.com.my/sport/swimming/2016/03/14/jordan-starts-believing-again-after-asean-meet/

A Perfect Debut For Elise At MSSM Swim Meet



Elise won two gold medals and broke a meet record in the MSSM swimming championships at Shah Alam Aquatic Centre. - AZMAN GHANI / The Star

SHAH ALAM: Elise Wong splashed to a perfect debut in the MSSM swimming championships with two gold medals and a meet record at the Shah Alam Aquatic Centre.

The 12-year-old student of Sri Kuala Lumpur posted 30.94 to smash the 10-year-old record of 31.09 held by former national swimmer Hii Siew Siew in the girls’ 12 and under 50m butterfly.

Team-mate Lim Shun Qi clocked 31.01 to also dip under Siew Siew’s record but settled for silver while bronze went to Kuala Lumpur’s Ng Zi Syuen, who posted 32.57.

The lanky Elise went on to claim her second gold medal for Selangor after finishing the 200m freestyle in 2:22.69.

Elise turned out to be the only record breaker on the opening day.

“It’s not my fastest time as I have a personal best of 30.30. But I fell pretty good. The competitors here are of the same standard,” said Elise, who looks up to five-time world champion Hosszu Katinka, who is known as Hungary’s “Iron Lady” in the pool.

“She is good and can swim in different events. She always finishes in the top three in the events she enters. I like the way she swims the butterfly,” said Elise, who aspires to qualify for the Asian Games in the future.

Sebastian Soon won the gold medals in boys' 16-18 100m backstroke and 200m freestyle for Selangor. - AZMAN GHANI / The Star

Hosts Selangor enjoyed a roaring day at the pool as they bagged 11 out of the 25 gold medals at stake.

Other double winners for Selangor were Darren Lew (boys’ 12 and under 100m backstroke and 200m freestyle), Sebastian Soon (boys’ 13-15 100m backstroke and 200m freestyle), Jordan Yip (boys’ 16-18 100m backstroke and 200m freestyle) and Rosalind Pang (girls’ Open 800m freestyle and 13-15 200m freestyle).

Tan Tyng also bagged a double for Sarawak in the girls’ 16-18 50m breaststroke and 200m freestyle.

http://www.thestar.com.my/sport/swimming/2016/03/13/perfect-debut-for-elise-as-mssm-swim-meet/

Selangor Expected To Swim Away With Medals At MSSM

Rosalind Pang will be competing in the girls' 13-15 age group for the last time this year.

PETALING JAYA: The absence of national swimmers should pave the way for new stars to emerge from the National Schools (MSSM) swimming championships, which start at the Shah Alam Aquatic Centre in Shah Alam on Sunday.

A total of 236 swimmers will compete in the five-day meet, with Penang sending the largest squad of 36.

Hosts Selangor, with 35 swimmers in the fray, should make a big splash this year as they’ve set their sights on making an impact at the Malaysia Games (Sukma) in Sarawak in July.

Among the Selangor swimmers tipped to shine this year are Jordan Yip in boys’ 16-18 age category and Rosalind Pang, who will be competing in the girls’ 13-15 age group for the last time.

Selangor can also count on breaststroke specialist Ng Yi Hao, who will be making his final MMSM outing. Yi Hao was named best overall swimmer in the boys’ category in the MSSM meet last year, thanks to his two meet records in the 50m and 100m breaststroke events of the 16-18 age category.

But Selangor can expect stiff competition from Sarawak, who will only be fielding 20 swimmers.

Tan Tyng is in line for two gold medals for Sarawak in the girls’ 16-18 age category in 50m butterfly and 200m freestyle.

Last year, Selangor reigned supreme in aquatics with a 44-25-21 medal haul, while Sarawak (24-16-18) were second and Kuala Lumpur (11-22-14) third.

Swimmers Welson And Jinq En Medal In First Euro Foray

National swimmers Phee Jinq En (left) and Welson Sim broke national records in the FINA Swimming World Cup meet in Dubai last year.

SINGAPORE: Youngsters Welson Sim and Phee Jinq En made a big splash for Malaysia in their first European outing in the Luxembourg Euro Meet.

18-year-old Welson clocked an impressive 1:48.46 to take a silver medal in the men's 200m freestyle A final on Saturday night.

Welson's time was not far from his national record of 1:48.11 set at the FINA Swimming World Cup leg in Dubai last November.

Serbian Velimir Stjepanovic, the 400m freestyle bronze medallist at last year's world championships in Kazan, claimed the gold medal in 1:46.10. Spaniard Martin Victor took bronze in 1:49.61.

Sarawak-born Welson was also second fastest with 1:49.45 in the morning heats.

17-year-old Jinq En was not to be outdone as she swam to a bronze in the women's 50m breaststroke A final.

Jinq En finished the sprint race in 32.11 behind Dutch swimmer Moniek Nijhuis, who clocked 31.70 for the silver medal. Martina Carraro of Italy took the gold in 31.28.

Welson and Jinq En stamped their marks with gold medals at the Singapore SEA Games last year and proved again they are the country's hopes for the future.

Nationalcoach Paul Birmingham said: "Welson did a very good time and bodes well for his chances to make the A cut for the Rio Olympica in August. He is getting close to the A time for the 200m freestyle (1:47.97).

"Welson looked great for the first 150m. He just needs more practice for his pacing."

"Jing En snagged a medal against some high quality opposition," added Birmingham.

Welson is already inside the Rio Olympic B qualifying time of 1:51.75.

No Malaysian swimmer has qualified for the Olympics under the A time since Alex Lim Keng Liat in the men's 100m backstroke at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

Two other Malaysians competing in Luxembourg - Khoo Cai Lin was placed 23rd in the women's 200m freestyle while Kevin Yeap was ranked 11th in the men's 1500m freestyle.

http://www.thestar.com.my/sport/swimming/2016/02/01/swimmers-welson-and-jinq-en-medal-in-first-euro-foray/

Malaysia Surpass Best Haul in Commonwealth Youth Games

Published: Tuesday September 8, 2015 MYT 9:47:00 PM
Updated: Wednesday September 9, 2015 MYT 1:55:41 AM

Malaysia surpass best haul in Commonwealth Youth Games

Malaysian swimmer Wong Fu Kang won the 100m breast stroke event at the Singapore SEA Games in June. - The STAR filepic

PETALING JAYA: One made a big splash to create history, two flexed their muscles, and two others squashed their opponents.

And it resulted in Malaysia earning five gold medals – through Wong Fu Kang in swimming; Nur Atikah Mohd Sabri and Muhd Erry Hidayat in weightlifting; and Ng Eain Yow and S. Sivasangari in squash (pic, below) – at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Samoa.

Nur Atikah got the ball rolling in the morning by winning the women’s 58kg weightlifting competition. Fu Kang doubled the joy by winning the men’s 100m breaststroke event for Malaysia’s first gold medal in swimming in the Games history.

Muhd Erry then sealed gold No. 3 for the day in the men’s 69kg category.

With squash’s two golds, Malaysia find themselves in fourth spot in the medal standings with a haul of 5-2-2 – surpassing their previous best of 4-2-1 achieved at the last Games in Isle of Man in 2011. Badminton, which contributed all four gold medals then, is not contested this time.

History-maker Fu Kang, 17, has yet to come to terms with his achievement.

“This win has not sunk in yet. I’m happy to maintain my performance level after the World Aquatics Championships in Kazan last month and the Singapore SEA Games in June.

“My aim is to get to the Olympics in Rio next year and I will keep on improving my personal best time,” said Fu Kang, who will compete in the men’s 50m breaststroke on Wednesday.

Fu Kang first made a name for himself at the Malaysian Open in Bukit Jalil in March after clocking 1:02.56 in 100m breaststroke to shatter 1998 Asian Games bronze medallist Elvin Chia’s national record of 1:02.59, which had stood since 2000.

Barely three months later, Fu Kang lowered it to 1:02.46 on his way to delivering the first swimming gold for Malaysia at the Singapore SEA Games.

Another Singapore SEA Games gold medallist Welson Sim missed out on getting a medal for Malaysia after he finished fourth in the men’s 100m freestyle in 51.15.

Welson had won silver medals in the 200m and 1,500m freestyle races on Monday.

Australian Vincent Dai splashed to gold in 50.26 while Scotland’s Craig Maclean took silver in 50.96.

The 14-year-old Nur Atikah was in smashing form in the weightlifting competition as she took gold with an overall total of 160kg – 33kg more than silver medallist Maria Mareta of Fiji.

Sixteen-year-old Muhd Erry bagged his weightlifting gold after lifting a total of 255kg.

Australia top the medal standings with 11-7-10, followed by South Africa (7-2-6) and England (5-8-7). A total of 53 countries are taking part in the Games, which cater to athletes aged between 14 and 18 years old.

Silver Glitters For Swimmer Welson in Samoa

PETALING JAYA: Young Malaysian swimmer Welson Sim set the pool alight with smashing performances as the Commonwealth Youth Games in Samoa.

The tireless Welson splashed his way to two silver medals – 200m and 1500m freestyle – on the opening day of swimming competition at the Tuana’imato Sports Facility yesterday.

Welson’s silver-medal time of 1:49.22 in the 200m saw him equal Daniel Bego’s national record set during the Laos SEA Games back in 2009.

Australian swimmer Clyde Lewis touched the wall ahead of the Malaysian for the gold medal in 1:48.88. England’s Kyle Chisholm took bronze in 1:51.21.

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The 18-year-old Welson hardly had time to catch his breath before was back in the pool for the 1,500m freestyle final. 

Welson, who won the 400m freestyle gold in the Singapore SEA Games in June, clocked 15:57.72 for his second silver of the night.

Tom Derbyshire of England splashed to the gold in 15:31.18 while Australia’s Tristan Ludlow (16:06.06) took bronze.

After an uninspiring debut at last month’s World Aquatics Championships in Kazan, where he failed to get anywhere near his personal best timings, the Sarawak-born swimmer was delighted to finish on the podium in the Commonwealth Youth Games, which cater to athletes aged between 14 and 18 years old.  

“I felt good going into this competition. I’ll try my best to win a medal in the 400m freestyle later, which is my pet event,” said Welson.  

National coach Paul Birmingham Thomas said that Welson’s time in the 200m freestyle would have been good for the bronze medal at the World Youth Championships in Singapore last month.

“We skipped the world junior meet to focus on the Commonwealth Youth Games. He did well to dip under the 1:50 barrier.

“Welson had about 30 minutes to rest between the 200m freesytle and the 1,500m freestyle races.

“He was not in a position to win ... we just wanted him to secure a medal.

“It’s tough to swim a 1,500m freestyle on the first day ... I could not have asked for more from him.”

Malaysia also got a bronze through weightlifter Ronny Jesos in the men’s 56kg competition. He lifted a total of 209kg to finish behind Pakistan’s Talha Talib (217kg) and India’s Jamjang Deru (237kg). 

Fu Kang Bags Malaysia’s First Swimming Gold (updated)

National swimmer, 16-year-old Wong Fu Kang after winning the men's 100m breaststroke at the Singapore SEA Games on Sunday. - FAIHAN GHANI/ The STAR

SINGAPORE: Look out behind… teenage swimmer Wong Fu Kang coming through!

The 16-year-old from Johor swam the race of his life to win the men's 100m breaststroke race at OCBC Aquatics Arena – in new national record time.

It’s no wonder he pumped his fists in the air immediately after looking at the scoreboard. He has just come from behind in the race to hand Malaysia their first SEA Games swimming gold medal in Singapore.

Victory seemed unlikely as the kid trailed in fourth place after the first 50 metres. But he cranked it up after the turn to touch the wall in 1:02.46 just ahead of Thailand’s Matjiu Radomyos, who clocked 1:02.63.

His new time eclipsed his own national mark of 1:02.56 set at the Malaysian Open in March. And more importantly, he became the first Malaysian male breaststroker to take gold in 14 years since Elvin Chia.

Interestingly, it was also Fu Kang who erased Elvin's national mark in the same event that had stood for 15 years.

The Phuket-based Fu Kang said he learned from the mistake he made in the 200m breaststroke final the previous night.

He led at the half-way mark but ran out of steam and finished fifth.

"I went too fast last night. I learnt my lesson and I was saving up my energy for the last 50 metres.

"I knew everyone were feeling the fatigue and I just did my best to beat them. I was so happy when I looked up and saw my name on top alongside the Malaysian flag,” said Fu Kang, who has a chance to claim a double when he swims the 50m breaststroke event on Thursday.

Malaysia also won a silver medal - in the men's 4x200m freestyle relay via Lim Ching Hwang, Daniel Bego, Welson Sim and Kevin Yeap, who finished in 7:30.13. Singapore, anchored by Incheon Asian Games gold medallist Joseph Schooling, proved too fast and won easily in 7:18.14.

United States-based Christina Loh will bid to defend her 100m breaststroke title on Monday night.

RESULTS

Men 

100m freestyle: 1. Joseph Schooling (Mas) 48.58 new Games rec, 2. Quah Zheng Wen (Sin) 49.91, 3. Hoang Quy Phuoc (Vie) 50.60. Selected: 7. Alwyn Tan (Mas) 51.81.

100m breaststroke: 1. Wong Fu Kang (Mas) 1:02.46, 2. Matjiur Radomyos (Tha) 1:02.63, 3. Joshua Hall (Phi) 1:02.87. Selected: 8. Shaun Yap (Mas) 1:04.97.

4x200m freestyle: 1. Singapore 7:18.14 new Games rec, 2. Malaysia 7:30.13, 3. Indonesia 7:35.63.

Women 

50m butterfly: 1. Tao Li (Sin) 26.58 new Games rec, 2. Quah Ting Wen (Sin) 27.02, 3. Jasmine Alkhaldi (Phi) 27.47.

200m backstroke: 1. Nguyen Thi Anh Vien (Vie) 2:14.12 new Games rec, 2. Yosaputra Yessy Venesia (Ina) 2:17.17, 3. Roxanne Ashley (Phi) 2:18.45.

200m individual medley: 1. Nguyen Thi Anh Vien (Vie) 2:13.53 new Games rec, 2. Pawapotako Phiangkhwan (Tha) 2:18.56, 3. Samantha Yeo (Sin) 2:18.77.

Defending Champ Cai Lin Pulls Out Of 800m freestyle

BY LIM TEIK HUAT

Filepic of national swimmer Khoo Cai Lin.

SINGAPORE: Malaysia suffered a blow to their hopes of a gold medal start in swimming after Khoo Cai Lin pulled out from the women's 800m freestyle final scheduled for Saturday night. 

Cai Lin cited tonsillitis as the reason. She is the defending gold medallist in the event won in Myanmar two years ago. 

She swam the 400m individual medley in the morning but did not finish.  

"I have been having tonsillitis before arriving here and have not recovered yet. 

"I used the 400 individual medley as a test to see how I was feeling but I could not breathe half-way through my event. Too bad this happened now," said Cai Lin.

She is slated for another event - the 400m freestyle on Wednesday. 

SEA Games: Sorry Start For Malaysia In Swimming

Welson Sim of Malaysia (right) with the 200m freestyle bronze medal at the Singapore SEA Games on Saturday. Quah Zheng Wen of Singapore (left) won silver and Vietnam's Hoang Quy Phuoc, the gold. - BERNAMA

SINGAPORE: A bronze from youngster Welson Sim was all Malaysia could manage on the first day of the swimming competition at OCBC Aquatics Centre.

Khoo Cai Lin dealt an early blow to Malaysia’s hopes of a gold-medal start when she pulled out from the women's 800m freestyle final.

Cai Lin cited tonsillitis as the reason for not defending the 800m freestyle title she won in Myanmar two years ago.

She swam the 400m individual medley heat in the morning, but did not finish the race.

“I’ve been having tonsillitis even before arriving here and I’ve not recovered from it. I used the 400m individual medley as a test to see how I was feeling, but I could not breathe halfway through the race ... too bad this happened now," said Cai Lin, who is unable to take antibiotics as she has to race the 400m freestyle on Wednesday.

The 25-year-old Selangor swimmer, however, faces an uphill task of regaining the 400m gold medal she last won in Laos in 2009 as Vietnam's Nguyen Thi Anh Vien was in sublime form on Saturday.

The Vietnamese teenager splashed to two SEA Games records on her way to winning the 400m individual medley and 800m freestyle races.

But it was good to see Welson putting up a noteworthy performance in snatching bronze.

The 18-year-old from Sarawak clocked 1:50.73 in the men’s 200m freestyle to finish behind Singapore’s Quah Zheng Wen, who took silver in 1:49.17.

Vietnam’s Hoang Quy Phuoc smashed Malaysian Daniel Bego’s SEA Games record of 1:49.22, set in 2009, on his way to retaining the 200m freestyle gold in 1:48.96.

“I’m happy with my effort as this is my first time qualifying for the 200m freestyle final at the SEA Games,” said Welson, the MSSM Sportsboy for 2014.

“I’m also the youngest finalist tonight. I will not think too much about this as I have more events to come.”

SEA Games: Stage Is Set For Jinq En To Shine

Jinq En has a personal best of 1:10.75 in the 100m breaststroke.

SINGAPORE: Siow Yi Ting ruled the women’s breaststroke event over the last decade before Christina Loh took over the mantle from her in Myanmar two years ago.

When the swimming competition in the 28th edition of the SEA Games begin at the OCBC Aquatics Centre, it could be teenager Phee Jinq En’s turn to shine.

The 17-year-old, who only got into the national team last September, is capable of winning on her SEA Games debut if her latest times are any indication.

She will compete in the 50m and 100m breaststroke events, but it's in the shorter race that’ll be interesting for Malaysia.

Christina beat Yi Ting to the 50m breaststroke gold when it was last held in the SEA Games programme in Palembang in 2011, but the United States-based swimmer is not taking part in the event this time.

Jinq En and Sarawak-born Erika Kong are entered for the 50m breaststroke race this time while Christina focuses on defending the 100m and 200m breaststroke titles she won at the Myanmar Games two years ago.

“I have clocked good times in the 50m and 100m breaststrokes this year. I want to improve on my personal bests and get on the podium, but I don't want to put too much pressure on myself,” said Jinq En, who trained under former Olympian Marilyn Chua in Selangor before joining the Bukit Jalil programme under Australian Paul Birmingham Thomas.

Singapore's Roanne Ho and Thailand's Salubluek Chavunnoooch have the potential to deny Malaysia glory in the breaststroke races.

Jinq En is bound for the World Championships in Kazan, Russia, next month after clocking 1:10.75 – her personal best – in the 100m breaststroke at the Malaysian Open in Bukit Jalil in March. Her time is not far off Christina’s gold medal mark of 1:10.55 in the Myanmar Games.

Jinq En also posted a new meet record of 32.23 in 50m breaststroke at the National Age-Group Championships in Bukit Jalil in April. It was just 0.04 of a second off Christina's national mark set in 2012.

What makes her achievements all the more staggering is that she comes from a family of marathon runners!

"My family members are all active in marathons. But I’m not so good at running ... so, I gave swimming a shot when I was eight and I’ve love it since,” she said.

National Swimmers’ Training For SEA Games ‘Gone Viral’

The Malaysian silver medal-winning 4x200m freestyle relay team of (from left) Welson Sim, Daniel Bego, Kevin Yeap and Lim Ching Hwang at the Myanmar SEA Games in 2013. - Filepic

KUALA LUMPUR: The national swimming team were hit by a flu bug last week.

It disrupted their training programme, but coach Paul Birmingham is hoping that the worst is over as he continues to prepare the squad for the Singapore SEA Games.

Three male swimmers – Welson Sim, Daniel Bego and Shaun Yap – were down with influenza and had to skip training for a few days. 

They rejoined training on Wednesday and Birmingham is hoping there’d be no lingering effects as the team go into the final phase of preparation before leaving for the SEA Games competition, which will be held at the OCBC Aquatic Centre from June 6-11.  

“Daniel had to seek hospital treatment. It’s some kind of viral infection. These things tend to ‘come up’ when we prepare for major competitions. When you are training hard and the body is weak, you tend to ‘catch’ things easily, said Birmingham.

“I don’t know how badly they’re affected ... we’ll have to see over the next couple of days as today is just the first day they’re back and pushing hard.

“At least it happened now ... not later.”

Birmingham is hoping that Welson and Daniel will recover their full fitness by the time the team set foot in Singapore as they’re expected to play key roles in Malaysia’s bid for gold in the 4x200m freestyle relay event for the first time. 

Malaysia will be hoping to avenge their narrow loss to Singapore in the same event at the Myanmar SEA Games two years ago.

The quartet of Lim Ching Hwang, Kevin Yeap, Daniel and Welson clocked 7:27.32 to take silver behind Singapore, who posted 7:26.67.

Malaysia, though, finished ahead of their neighbours at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games last September despite missing the services of Daniel.

In Glasgow, the quartet of Kevin, Welson, Ching Hwang and Vernon Lee set a new national record of 7:26.74 in the 4x200m freestyle relay final. They finished seventh – just ahead of Singapore, who posted 7:28.01.

Welson is now the country’s fastest swimmer in 200m and 400m freestyle. The 18-year-old from Sarawak came agonisingly close to breaking Daniel’s national mark of 1:49.22 set in 2009 with a personal best of 1:49.67 in the men’s 200m freestyle at the Malaysian Open in March.

Welson, the MSSM Sportsboy for 2014, was in superb form in the 400m, clocking 3:53.93 to go within striking distance of Kevin’s national record of 3:53.26 set in 2013.

At the Myanmar Games, Christina won the 100m and 200m breaststroke golds. Daniel (400m freestyle) 

Malaysia Sending Smaller Swimming Squad To SEA Games

National swimmers Khoo Cai Lin (left) and Daniel Bego, winners at the 2013 Myanmar SEA Games, will compete at the Singapore Games in June. - Filepic

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will have a smaller group of swimmers compared to their main rivals at the Singapore SEA Games in June.

The Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia (Asum) have named 17 participants – nine men and eight women – for the Games.

Multiple SEA Games gold medallist Daniel Bego will lead the men’s squad. The others are Welson Sim, Wong Fu Kang, Lim Ching Hwang, Kevin Yeap, Tern Jian Han, Shaun Yap, Vernon Lee and Alywn Tan.

Christina Loh, the United States-based breaststroke specialist, will head the women’s team. Khoo Cai Lin, Erika Kong, Yap Siew Hui, Chui Lai Kwan, Phee Jinq En, Angela Chieng and Carolyn Chan are the others selected.

Four swimmers – Alwyn, Angela, Carolyn and Jinq En – will be making their debuts.

Seasoned campaigners Yap See Tuan, Ian James Barr, Asmalia Filzati Redzuan and Nadia Adrianna Redza all failed to make the squad.

Asum acting secretary Mae Chen said they would be happy to maintain the four-gold haul from the 2013 Myanmar Games.

“All those going are capable of bringing home medals. I believe there could be some surprises as some of them did pretty fast times at the recent Malaysian Open.

“But we do not want to be over confident at this point as we don’t know how our rivals are doing,” said Mae.

At the Myanmar Games, Christina won the 100m and 200m breaststroke golds. Daniel (400m freestyle) and Cai Lin (800m freestyle) contributed one gold each.

Welson, Erika Qualify For World Swim Meet

Welson Sim competing in one of the events at the 58th Malaysian Open Swimming Championships in Kuala Lumpur.

Erika Kong celebrating her victory in the women’s 200m breaststroke.

KUCHING: Welson Sim Wee Seng and Erika Kong Chia Chia will represent Malaysia at the Fina World Championships in Kazan, Russia from July 24 to August 9.

The Bukit Jalil-based swimmers from Sarawak made the cut for the world meet when they beat the qualifying times at the 58th Malaysian Open Swimming Championships at the National Aquatic Centre in Kuala Lumpur last week.

Welson splashed to three gold medals in the national championships in the men’s 100m freestyle (51.73s), 400m freestyle (3:53.91s) and his most impressive achievement – the 200m freestyle – in which he clocked 1:49.67s, which was only 0.45s off the national record of 1:49.67s set by fellow Sarawakian Daniel Bego in 2009.

As for Erika, she won the women’s 200 individual medley (2:20.80s) and 200m breaststroke (2:36.21s).

She was also second in the 50m breaststroke (32.47s) and 100m (1:12.19s), clocking times better than her personal bests.

Apart from the five gold medals, the nine-member Sarawak team also captured four silver and five bronze medals.

Angela Chieng Chui Fei, who had just joined the national squad beginning of this year, bagged the silver in the women’s 800m freestyle (9:09.10s) and the bronze in the 400m freestyle.

Vernon Lee Jeau Zhi delivered a silver medal in the men’s 1,500m freestyle with a time of 16:05.31s.

He finished third in the men’s 200m freestyle (1:52.62s) and 400m freestyle (4:01.31s).

Sarawak’s other bronze medals were contributed by Daniel Bego in the men’s 100m freestyle (52.08s) and 100m butterfly (55.53s).

State head coach Hii Hieng Chiong was satisfied with the team’s performance, saying that Welson and Erika had done very well in the meet.

“They have not only helped Sarawak win five gold medals but also booked their tickets to the world championships in Russia,” he said.

While those in the national squad have won medals, Hii said the international competition had provided good exposure for state swimmers like Nee Gui Ping, Alex Tiong, Tan Tyng and Leong Wan Ying.

“The state swimmers have managed to improve their personal bests and the best thing for Sarawak is that all swimmers except for Daniel Bego who competed at the meet are eligible for Sukma 2016,” he added.

He said sending them to compete in the Malaysian Open was part of the state’s preparations for Sukma XIX in Sarawak next year.


Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2015/04/02/welson-erika-qualify-for-world-swim-meet/#ixzz3W7Db1Ct0