Yi Ting Still Has A thing For Fourth Olympic Appearance

KUALA LUMPUR: Indonesia SEA Games double gold medallist Siow Yi Ting (pic) may be the oldest swimmer in the national squad but she has no intention to quit just yet.

Yi Ting, who celebrated her 26th birthday on Dec 11, has her mind set on becoming the first Malaysian woman swimmer to compete in four Olympics.

The Negri Sembilan lass allayed fears that she would not continue training next year, saying that the London Olympics was still very much on her mind.

Yi Ting graduated with a BA in Arts and Sculpture from the University of Arkansas in the United States early this year. She only returned home in August to train at Bukit Jalil under national coach Paul Birmingham but still managed to deliver two golds and a silver at the SEA Games swimming competition in Palembang.

Yi Ting will continue training under Birmingham and is hopeful she will win her ticket to London.

“Winning the SEA Games gold medals has given me the confidence that I can achieve more in swimming,” she said.

“I took more than a year off from competition to complete my studies. It was a good break as I felt burnt out after so many years in the pool.”

“Now I feel rejuvenated and am looking forward to 2012 as I want to try to make the A cut for the Olympics. I need to slash about two seconds off my personal best in the 200m breaststroke. “I have made the B time for the Olympics in the 100m breaststroke but I will need to improve on it to guarantee qualification for London,” said Yi Ting, who notched a double in the 100m and 200m breaststroke apart from earning a silver in the 200m individual medley in Indonesia.

Yi Ting clocked 1:10.55 to beat the Olympic B qualification time of 1:10.89 in the 100m breaststroke. She is now eyeing the Olympic A qualification time of 2:26.89 for the longer race. Yi Ting, who holds the national record of 2:27.80, posted 2:33.67 to win the 200m breastroke in Palembang. Only those who beat the A time are assured a place in the Olympics.