SINGAPORE, June 6 — The national swimming squad only managed a bronze medal on the opening day of the swimming events at the 28th SEA Games tonight.
The only medal winner was Welson Sim in the men’s 200m freestyle, when he clocked one minute and 50.73 seconds to claim the bronze medal.
“It was a tough competition but I am happy that I managed to put up a strong challenge against the seniors,” said the 18-year-old.
The event was won by Vietnam’s Hoang Quy Phuoc who set the new Games record of 1:48.96s when he erased Malaysian Daniel Bego’s time of 1:49.22s set at the Laos SEA Games in 2009.
Homester, Quah Zheng Wen took the silver with a time of 1:49.17s.
Besides the men’s 200m freestyle event, three new Games records were made tonight, with two of them set by the Vietnamese swimmers in the women’s 400m individual medley and 800m freestyle.
Singapore’s swimming sensation Quah Zheng Wen set the new record in the men’s 100m backstroke.
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s medal hope, Khoo Cai Lin, pulled out from the women’s 800m freestyle final due to tonsillitis.
Cai Lin said she could not breathe well during the women’s 400m individual medley and swam half-way due to breathing difficulties.
She is the defending gold medallist in the event, who won in Myanmar two years ago. — Bernama
