The quartet of Lim Ching Hwang, Daniel, Vernon Lee and Kevin Yeap posted 7:35.12 to clinch the silver medal behind Singapore, who notched a winning time of 7:30.79.
It was the first Malaysian swimming record broken this year and Daniel’s first international medal in more than a year. He also had a hand in the previous national mark of 7:35.66 set at the Guangzhou Asian Games two years ago together with Kevin, Ian James Barr and Foo Jian.
Daniel was the star performer for Malaysia when he bagged five gold medals, four of them in record time, at the 2009 SEA Games in Laos.
However, Daniel had to lay off swimming for more than a year after undergoing surgery on both his shoulders. He missed the SEA Games in Indonesia last year and is in Singapore to make a last-gasp effort to earn a place in the Olympics.
The inaugural SEA championships, which will be held in the year when there is no SEA Games, is the final chance for the region’s swimmers to dip under the Olympic qualifying times.
The record-breaking effort in his first event yesterday will boost 22-year-old Daniel’s hopes of earning a second Olympic appearance.
He has only entered for the freestyle races over 50m, 100m and 200m. And it is in the 200m freestyle that he stands the best chance of making it to London as he enters with a seeding time of 1:52.50.
Daniel holds the national record of 1:49.22 and won the 200m freestyle gold at the three SEA Games prior to the one last year.
The Olympic selection time for the 200m freestyle is 1:51.59 but Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia secretary Edwin Chong said Daniel has his work cut out.
“He may struggle as he hasn’t been swimming for more than a year. And the swimmers in this region have improved considerably, especially the men.”
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