Tze Liang Scores Malaysia's Third Diving Gold

Malaysian diver Ooi Tze Liang in action on Wednesday. He won the gold medal in the men's 3m springboard event on Dec 19, 2013. - AFP Photo

NAYPYITAW: Diver Ooi Tze Liang bounced back from disappointment in the 10m platform on Wednesday to give Malaysia their third diving SEA Games gold in the 3m springboard final on Thursday.

Team-mate Chew Yi Wei grabbed the bronze medal in the same event in his SEA Games debut.

Jun Hoong, Wendy In 1-2 finish in 3m Springboard (updated)

Cheong Jun Hoong and Wendy Ng (left) won the gold and silver respectively in the women's 3m springboard event at the SEA Games.

NAYPYITAW: One was relieved after her final dive while the other left the pool with tears in her eyes.

It was the women’s 3m springboard individual final and Cheong Jun Hoong successfully won the competition to hand Malaysia their first gold medal in diving at the Wunna Theikdi Aquatic Centre here.

But it could have been Wendy Ng’s day to celebrate if she had done better with her final attempt on Wednesday.

Wendy was leading from the start until the fourth dive but she only earned 63.00 for her last jump.

That was not enough to overtake Jun Hoong for the gold, leaving Wendy with silver and the consolation of making sure Malaysia had a one-two finish at the Myanmar SEA Games.

Jun Hoong was the first diver to jump in the field and she garnered 69.60 to end the competition with 327.15 points.

Wendy settled for silver with 323.10 points while Indonesia’s Eka Purna had the bronze with 240.35 points.

Jun Hoong was relieved to have won the event for the second straight SEA Games especially as she felt she had not been performing well in training since their arrival in Naypyitaw three days ago.

“Wendy’s lift-off was better and I had a minor problem after we arrived here.

“The pool here is cold and I am not used to adapting fast. So I was actually not so confident of my chances. My last dive was better though and I clinched it,” said 23-year-old Jun Hoong, who has been competing at the SEA Games level since 2003.

Jun Hoong only had kind words for Wendy.

“She was diving well today. I think she did a good job and I congratulated her after we finished the competition,” said Jun Hoong, who hails from Perak.

A teary-eyed Wendy was disappointed not to have nicked her first individual gold medal.

“I wanted to win my first individual gold badly as this was my third SEA Games appearance.

“I improved a lot in training in China before coming here. I was confident but I was just mentally not strong to get the gold. Maybe, it’s just not meant to be mine,” said the exasperated girl, who will have to get over her disappointment fast as she partners Jun Hoong on Friday for the women’s 3m springboard synchro event.

Nazreen Pips Tze Liang For Surprise Gold In 10m Platform (updated)

Diver Mohd Nazreen Abdullah won gold in the men's 10m platform event at the SEA Games with 398.05 points. - KAMARUL ARIFFIN / The Star

NAYPYITAW: Mohd Nazreen Abdullah is only 1.47m tall and shorter than his senior Ooi Tze Liang despite standing on top of the podium.

But height was not on the 15-year-old’s mind as he stood on the podium grinning from ear to ear after pulling off a shock win in the men’s individual 10m platform competition at the Wunna Theikdi Aquatic Centre here on Wednesday.

Nazreen was not overwhelmed by the occasion of his SEA Games debut and executed all six dives well to beat his more illustrious senior, who is five years older, to claim gold on 398.05 points.

Tze Liang did his best to overtake Nazreen as he narrowed a 15-point gap with one dive to go.

But in the end, Tze Liang had to settle for silver for the second consecutive SEA Games with 397.20 points.

Tze Liang, who is competing in all four events in diving, won the silver behind Bryan Nickson Lomas at the last SEA Games in Palembang two years ago.

He was seen as the candidate to defend the 10m individual title for Malaysia but it was pint-sized Nazreen, who tips the scales at 43kg, who unexpectedly became the star of the day.

Nazreen had not even started diving when Bryan won the first of his four successive individual platform titles in Manila in 2005.

“I did not expect this,” he said, showing off his gold medal.

“This is my best ever performance in the platform event and I have to thank my senior Tze Liang for encouraging me in training all this while,” said Nazreen, who hails from Kuala Lumpur.

He was roped into the national elite squad early this year and has put up encouraging performances at the international level.

Nazreen was ninth at the World Junior Championships in Adelaide last year and finished fifth at the Asian Youth Games in Nanjing this year.

He admitted the two training stints in China this year helped him a lot.

“I managed to raise my DD (degree of difficulties) in my dives but still I did not expect this,” he added.

Tze Liang will bid to bounce back when he competes in the men’s 3m springboard on Thursday while Olympic bronze medallist Pandelela Rinong should cruise to the women’s 10m platform gold.

Malaysian Swimming Is Finding Its SEA Legs

We are no.1. Amanda Lim of Singapore celebrates after winning the 50m freestyle final to contribute to the republic's 11 gold medal haul at the Myanmar SEA Games to emerge as the top swimming nation. - The STAR

NAYPYITAW: They may have contributed one more gold than what was promised to the National Sports Council (NSC) but this did nothing to hide the fact that the standard of Malaysian swimming has declined compared to our neighbours.

It was only two or three SEA Games back that Malaysia were battling the likes of Singapore for the overall champion’s tag but those days are long gone.

The four gold medals coming from Christina Loh (women’s 100m and 200m breaststroke), Khoo Cai Lin (women’s 800m freestyle) and Daniel Bego (men’s 400m freestyle) put Malaysia in fifth place behind Vietnam (5-5-2), Indonesia (5-6-4), Thailand (7-8-8) and, as expected, Singapore (11-9-10).

There were fewer silver and bronze medals earned this time compared to the last SEA Games where Malaysia took home 5-10-3.

The absence of the experienced Siow Yi Ting meant Malaysia could not mount a challenge for the 200m and 400m individual medley events like in the past SEA Games.

There were only five women swimmers in the team this time and there were no backstrokers and sprinters either.

Swimmers like Cai Lin and Daniel have already contributed gold medals for the last four SEA Games and they are also reaching the twilight of their swimming careers, so it is crucial to blood the next batch of juniors to fill the vacuum when their seniors decide to call it quits in the near future.

But it is not all gloom for Malaysian swimming.

Christina Loh emerged as the new breaststroke queen for the region and showed she can be depended on to maintain Malaysia’s proud record in the discipline.

It is also worth noting that Malaysia have an emerging talent in Yap Siew Hui in the butterfly discipline.

Siew Hui posted a personal best time in nearly snagging a medal in her SEA Games debut in the 100m butterfly.

Only 16, she should be stronger and faster to fight for medals in the next few editions. The region’s top butterfly swimmer Tao Li of Singapore should still be around when her country host the next SEA Games in two years’ time but Siew Hui will be at her peak to challenge for the gold when it is Malaysia’s turn in 2017.

Most encouraging is the fact that there are several youngsters waiting to come up in the Malaysian swimming team.

The likes of Welson Sim, Lim Ching Hwang, Tern Jian Han, Wong Fu Kang and Shaun Yap are in the age bracket of 15-18, so they should be around to make the team for future SEA Games.

There were four or five male sprinters this time around, so it was not surprising that Malaysia clinched two silver medals in both the 4x100m and 4x200m freestyle events in new national record times.

Swimming coach Paul Birmingham said it is not just about gold medals; it is also important to look at the bigger picture when assessing the swimmers’ performance at the Games, especially in terms of athlete development.

”We have a lot of young athletes who benefited from going for their first big Games.

”I know everyone is big on the number of gold medals and I understand, but we must look deeper than that.

”I also look closely at individual performances and who can better their personal bests.

”If you keep working on that, eventually at some point, it will hopefully be good enough for gold in future editions.

”A lot of our swimmers are also looking at qualifying for the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games and they can work towards reaching that as well,” he said.

Baby Steps For Diver Dhabitah At SEA Games

SEA Games debutant Dhabitah Nur Sabri aims to do well in Myanmar before graduating to bigger things when the diving event begins on Wednesday. - Filepic

NAYPYITAW: Her room-mate is an Olympic medallist while her diving partner is the only athlete in the Malaysian contingent making a ninth consecutive appearance at the SEA Games.

Dhabitah Nur Sabri’s maiden outing at the SEA Games is already memorable enough but the youngest member of the diving squad is hoping to cap it further with a gold medal around her neck.

Diving gets under way at the Wunna Theikdi Aquatic Centre on Wednesday with Malaysia, despite fielding several newcomers, still looking good to sweep all eight gold medals at stake.

The 14-year-old Dhabitah, fondly known as Bitah, has been sharing the same room with London Olympic bronze medallist Pandelela Rinong since she arrived with the team in Naypyitaw three days ago.

Dhabitah will be partnering Leong Mun Yee to defend the women’s 10m platform synchro event and is relishing her SEA Games debut.

Pandelela is Mun Yee’s regular partner for the platform synchro but she is only focusing on the individual event this time to expose the youngsters to competition at the SEA Games level.

“I am so excited as it’s my first major multi-Games,” said Dhabitah, who became the youngest Malaysian diver to win at the senior level with her two individual titles in the 1m and 3m springboard at the South-East Asian (SEA) Swimming Championships in Singapore last year when she had yet to turn 13.

“I may have competed in SEA swimming championships before last year but this is a much bigger occasion.

“Coach (Yang Zhuliang) wants us to do well, that is why he pushed us hard during the one-month preparation in China.

“He is a perfectionist and he even pushed us during training here. We had to go to the gym early in the day after we arrived late here.

“But I know he only has good intentions.”

It will be the first time Dhabitah is partnering Mun Yee and she is looking forward to it. But she’s feeling jittery at the same time.

“I am really nervous because I’m afraid of letting her down,” said Dhabitah.

“She is so experienced and I have learned a lot from her when we were training in China, so hopefully we’ll do well in our first outing together.

“We spent the three weeks in China working on our combination and I hope I don’t disappoint her.”

The SEA Games competition will also be the moment of reckoning for other juniors like Asian Youth Games silver medallist Loh Zhiayi, Chew Yi Wei and Muhd Nazreen Abdullah, who will all be making their debut.

Zhuliang has always emphasised the importance of the biennial meet to serve as a perfect launching pad for a diver.

“You will have to win first at the SEA Games, then only can you move on to the Asian and Commonwealth Games, World Championships and Olympics,” he said.

“If you can’t even conquer the region, then you are going nowhere.”

The now-retired divers like Yeoh Ken Nee and Bryan Nickson Lomas, as well as Mun Yee, Pandelela, Cheong Jun Hoong, Ooi Tze Liang and Wendy Ng all went through the process before they started challenging for honours at the highest level.

A Silver Ending For Bego At The Pool

Daniel Bego (pic) settled for the silver after losing the 200m freestyle race to Vietnam's Hoang Quy Phuoc on the final day of the SEA Games swimming competition on Monday. - Filepic

NAYPYITAW: Daniel Bego could have delivered a golden flourish for Malaysia if not for a poor start on the final day of the SEA Games swimming competition at the Wunna Theikdi Aquatic Center on Monday.

The 24-year-old did not start well and it put paid to his chances of reclaiming his men’s 200m freestyle title in the end as he settled for silver with 1:51.10.

Vietnam’s Hoang Quy Phuoc, who was beaten to second place by Daniel in the 400m freestyle final two days ago, turned the tables on the Malaysian by taking gold in 1:50.64.

The Vietnamese swimmer is not an unknown challenger, having won a double in the 100m freestyle and butterfly events in Palembang two years ago.

Daniel advanced to the final as the fastest qualifier after clocking 1:57.10 in the morning.

Daniel, who had to miss the previous SEA Games in Palembang to recover from shoulder injuries, gave his best effort but it was just not his day in the end.

“I made a poor start while the Vietnamese winner raced smartly.

“He was able to get away and it was hard for me to chase him down by the last 50m.

“Anyway, I am happy to finish my comeback SEA Games with one gold and three silver medals,” said the Sarawakian who won his other silvers in the 4x100m and 4x200m freestyle events.

Malaysia thus ended the five-day swimming 4-4-2. Khoo Cai Lin defended her 800m freestyle title while Christina Loh splashed to a double in the women’s 100m and 200m breaststroke.

Meanwhile, Vietnamese swimmer Nguyen Thi Anh Vien claimed her third gold of the SEA Games in style, setting a new record of 4:46.16 in the women’s 400m individual medley.

Amanda Lim of Singapore denied Thailand’s Natthan Junkrajang from a triple gold success in the freestyle disciplines. Amanda touched home for victory in 25.59 in the 50m event while Natthanan, who won the 100m and 200m freestyle earlier, was second in 25.80.

A Chill Before The Thrill

Pandalela Rinong and her diving team-mates will have to contend with some chilly conditions at the aquatic centre in Naypyitaw when the competition begins on Wednesday. - Filepic

NAYPYITAW: The absence of hot water in the outdoor shower area is giving the divers the chills at the Wunna Theikdi Aquatic Centre in Naypyitaw.

The Malaysian divers arrived here two days ago and team manager Mae Chen said they have no choice but to adapt to the situation.

”The organisers overlooked this aspect and did not install hot water in the outdoor shower area, which will be used by the divers once they come out of the pool after each dive.

”The divers were complaining and shivering when they first got out of the water.

”It is chilly at this time of the year as Myanmar are experiencing their winter period.

”We have no choice but to adapt to the situation like everyone else,” she said.

Chilly water aside, the divers are in good spirits and looking forward to the competition which begins on Wednesday.

The Malaysian diving team are in Naypyitaw without Mohd Danial Sabri, who was left out after complaining of pain in his ear.

Danial had been slated to partner Ooi Tze Liang for the men’s 10m platform synchro. He will be replaced by Mohd Nazreen Abdullah.

”Danial complained of pain in his ear after returning from the training stint in China before we came here and he was withdrawn on medical advice.

”Nazreen now will dive in two events - the platfom individual and synchro,” she added.

The other male members of the squad are Muhd Amsyar Azman and Chew Yi Wei.

London Olympian bronze medallist Pandelela Rinong, the highest profile athlete of the Malaysian contingent, fronts the women’s team along with Leong Mun Yee, Wendy Ng Yan Yee, Cheong Jun Hoong, Loh Zhiayi and Nur Dhabitah Sabri.

Diving are targeting a possible clean sweep of the eight gold medals at stake in Naypyitaw.

Daniel, Cai Lin Make A Golden Splash For Malaysia (updated)

Khoo Cai Lin and Daniel Bego (right) capture the moment, after winning the women's 800m freestyle and men's 400m freestyle respectively at the SEA Games on Dec 14, 2013.

NAYPYITAW: A mother's love knows no bounds. Amy Wong has been shuttling between the hotel and Games Village for the last three days to pass a serving of Chinese herbal soup for her son Daniel Bego.

And it was just the right tonic for Daniel to power his way to victory in the men’s 400m freestyle at the Wunna Theikdi Aquatic Center on Saturday.

The 24-year-old Daniel was the first to hit the wall at the end of the first lap and he maintained the pace till the end to finish in 3:54.89, claiming what was his 10th gold medal in SEA Games swimming.

Vietnam’s Hoang Quy Phuoc took silver with 3:57.73 while Thailand’s Kittiya Tanakrit took bronze with 3:59.00.

Kevin Yeap, who won the race in Palembang two years ago, did not swim well and placed fifth this time in 4:00.75.

But thankfully, there was Daniel, who must have thought a 10th gold medal in SEA Games swimming would have been impossible to secure afer having had both his shoulders operated on two years ago.

He had to go on a long rehabilitation process and missed the chance to swim in Palembang two years ago.

Daniel had previously made a big splash, claiming five gold medals in new record times in Vientiane in 2009.

On Saturday, he however did not manage to improve on his personal best of 3:53.99, which is also the existing SEA Games record for the 400m freestyle. But he had no reason to be disappointed at all.

“Thanks for reminding me that it’s my 10th gold medal. Words cannot describe how it feels.

“I never thought I would be able to stand on top of the podium again.

“I swam aggressively at the start as I knew I could control the pace.“I would love to swim a faster time but I am happy, anyway,” said Daniel, who also bagged a silver together with Welson Sim, Vernon Lee and Lim Ching Hwang in 4x100m freestyle in a new national record time of 3:26.98. (The Malaysians were initially credited with a bronze but silver medallists Indonesia were later disqualified).

Daniel was also part of the quartet that previously set the mark at 3:27.87 in Vientiane in 2009.

Unlike Daniel, Khoo Cai Lin did not have her mother’s herbal soup and instead relied on true grit as she came back from fever the day before to retain her 800m freestyle title, providing double cheer for the Malaysians.

Cai Lin, completed her SEA Games outing in Myanmar on a high after clocking 8:49.51 to win the 800m freestyle gold ahead of Thailand’s Benjaporn Sriphanomthorn, who pushed hard for silver in 8:49.61.

Christina Wins 100m Breaststroke Gold (updated)

Christina Loh grabbed Malaysia's first swimming gold in the 100m breaststroke event on Dec 13, 2013 with a personal best of 1:10.55.

NAYPYITAW: Swimmer Christina Loh continued off from where Siow Yi Ting left to save the day for Malaysia by bagging the women’s 100m breaststroke gold medal at the Wunna Theikdi Aquatic Centre on Friday.

There were questions as to whether the 18-year-old Christina was capable of filling the big shoes of 28-year-old Yi Ting, a four-time Olympian and multiple SEA Games gold medallist who quit the sport three months earlier due to a growth in her neck and her age.

Yi Ting has never failed to deliver a gold for Malaysia in women’s 100m breaststroke since Korat in 2007 and Christina provided the perfect answer by leading from start to finish to give Malaysia the first victory in the pool.

She posted a personal best time of 1:10.55 to finish ahead of Thais Salubluek Chavunnooch (1:11.35) and Pawapatako Phiangkhwan (1:12.68).

Another Malaysian, Nadia Adrianna Redza, was sixth in 1:15.33.

It’s not Christina’s first SEA Games gold medal, having made her debut by winning the 50m breaststroke event in Palembang two years ago.

However, she is unable to defend the title as the event is not included in Myanmar.

Christina took a break to focus on her SPM examinations and also the fact that she was struggling to cope with the transition from being a teenager to a young woman.

Christina, who was fastest in the heats with 1:12.51, was delighted to have turned the silver she won in the event in Palembang into gold.

“I’m happy to continue from where Yi Ting left. She has done a lot for Malaysia at the SEA Games and I am proud to maintain it. I wanted to swim faster but this is a decent timing for me,” said the Penang-born Christina, who still has the 200m breaststroke to look forward to, although it’s not her pet event.

Meanwhile, Indonesia’s Fauzi Sidiq Triady clocked 49.99 to smash Daniel Bego’s Games record of 50.16, set in Vientiane in 2009, en route to winning the men’s 100m freestyle gold.

Daniel, who swam on the outer lane, settled for fourth in 51.21 while Lim Ching Hwang ended a disappointing eighth in 52.04.

Singapore’s Joseph Schooling set the other SEA Games record in the 200m individual medley, clocking 2:00.82 to erase the 2011 mark of 2:02.90 belonging to Ketin Nuttapong of Thailand.

Malaysia’s gold medal hope today lies in Kevin Yeap and Daniel in the men’s 400m freestyle. Kevin will be defending the title he won in Palembang two years ago but can expect a tough challenge from the resurgent Daniel.

Fever Prevents Cai Lin From Defending 400m Freestyle Title

Khoo Cai Lin going all out to defend her 400m freestyle title at the SEA Games on Dec 13, 2013, despite falling ill. She had to settle for fifth placing after coming down with fever earlier in the day.

NAYPYITAW: A bout of fever dashed Khoo Cai Lin’s hopes of mounting a strong challenge to reclaim her women’s 400m freestyle title at the Wunna Theikdi Aquatic Centre on Friday.

The 25-year-old Cai Lin had finished fastest in the heats in the morning (4:27.77) but fell sick in the afternoon.

That drained her and she could only finish fifth (4:25.02) in the event, which she won in Korat (2007) and Vientiane (2009) before settling for silver in Palembang two years ago.

Sriphanomthorn Benjaporn of Thailand clocked 4:14.23 to take victory, leaving Cai Lin without a medal in the event for the first time since 2007.

Silver went to Vietnamese youngster Nguyen Thi Anh Vien (4:16.06) while Singapore’s Lynette Lim (4:21.24) took the bronze.

“I wasn’t feeling well and I threw up. I thought of withdrawing but didn’t. I tried my best to finish the race but it was not to be.

“I’m not trying to make excuses but I kind of expected this result,” said the visibly pale Cai Lin, who now has to race against time to recover for the 800m freestyle on Saturday.

Cai Lin is the defending champion for the 800m freestyle event.

“I will sleep early and hope it gets better tonight,” said Cai Lin.

Swim Relay: Malaysian Quartet Smash Record, Settle For Silver

Malaysia's silver medallists in the men's 4x200m swimming event (from left): Welson Sim, Daniel Bego, Kevin Yeap and Lim Ching Hwang.

NAYPYITAW: The quartet of Lim Ching Hwang, Kevin Yeap, Daniel Bego and Welson Sim swam their hearts out to dip four seconds below the existing SEA Games mark for the men’s 4x200m freestyle event. They even smashed their own national record for good measure.

Yet, for all their valiant efforts, it only earned them the silver medal behind a Joseph Schooling-powered Singapore team, who retained their title just slightly ahead on 7:26.67 at the Wunna Theikdi Aquatic Centre on Thursday night.

The Malaysian quartet clocked 7:27.32 to join Singapore in dipping under the SEA Games mark of 7:30.73 which the Singaporeans set in Palembang two years ago.

United States-based star Schooling jumped off the blocks and quickly established a healthy lead over Ching Hwang.

It looked like gold was out of Malaysia’s reach for Malaysia by the time Kevin completed the second leg and Daniel took over.

But Malaysia’s never-say-die spirit prevailed as Daniel chased down Singapore’s Pang Sheng Jun.

Gold was in sight as Daniel went level with his Singaporean rival before passing it to SEA Games debutant Welson.

The youngster went ahead after the first 100m but was eventually overtaken in the final lap by Quah Zheng Wen, who had earlier won the 400m individual medley gold.

Although Singapore celebrated in the end, at least Malaysia enjoyed the consolation of earning the first medal from the pool – and a new national record, the third set this year.

Daniel will be highly comforted by his performance here as he looks to reclaim his 100m freestyle title tonight, after missing out on the action in Indonesia due to shoulder injuries.

“I am in my best form. I’ve never felt so good like this for some time. It’s all about chasing down the favourites at this point and I’m comfortable with this,” said the Sarawakian, who bagged five gold medals in his last SEA Games appearance in Laos in 2009.

Kevin said that they gave their best against Singapore and there was no reason to feel disappointed.

“We know the national record will fall. We wanted to go for gold but we know it will be hard to beat the Singaporeans. We will come back stronger,” said Kevin, who is defending his 400m freestyle title on Saturday.

Malaysia Hope To Steal Gold From Singapore In 4x200m

Kevin Yeap in a file photo. He will be looking to defend his 400m freestyle title at the SEA Games.

NAYPYITAW: Singapore, spearheaded by their United States-based star Joseph Schooling, have boldly declared their intention to secure half of the 32 gold medals at stake in swimming at the Myanmar SEA Games.

But Malaysia are quietly hoping to steal their thunder by winning one of the coveted relay gold medals from Singapore when the pool action begins at the Wunna Theikdi Aquatic Centre on Thursday.

The men’s 4x200m freestyle is where Malaysia possibly stands a real chance to strike gold to end a drought dating to the 2001 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur.

That was the last time Malaysia tasted victory in the relays through the fabulous foursome of Alex Lim Keng Liat, Elvin Chia, Anthony Ang and Allen Ong in men’s 4x100m medley.

This time, coach Paul Birmingham has lined up Daniel Bego, Lim Ching Hwang, Kevin Yeap and Welson Sim for the bid to wrest the gold from defending champions Singapore.

The current SEA Games record of 7:30.73 for the event is also held by Singapore and that will have to fall as well if Malaysia are to have any chance of taking the gold.

Swimmer Kevin Yeap is optimistic Malaysia have what it takes to challenge the mighty Singaporeans if they can rewrite the national record for the third time this year.

The quartet of Vernon Lee, Ching Hwang, Welson and Tern Jian Han clocked 7:33.33 en route to ninth placing at the World Youth Championships in Dubai in August.

That record only lasted a month as Welson, Vernon, Kevin and Yeap Zheng Yang later posted 7:31.44 to take gold at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Indonesia.

”With Daniel and Ching Hwang (who is the Asian Youth Games gold medallist for 200m freestyle and based in Singapore) in the team, we have a strong combination.

”I think our national record is definitely going to fall and we hope it will come with the gold medal for us as well.

“Singapore have been the favourites as they have the depth of swimmers but we are not bad either this time.

”I think we have four or five swimmers in the team who can do a good 200m freestyle time.

”It will be good for the confidence of the whole swimmming team if we take gold on the opening day,” said Kevin, who will also be looking to successfully defend his 400m freestyle title two days later.

Apart from the fact that the swimmers will have to brave the chills to walk a short distance from the warm-up pool located across from the competition pool, it is all systems go for the team.

Coach Birmingham is anticipating competition to be much tougher compared to the last edition of the Games.

The three gold target set by the National Sports Council is reachable for his charges but he has warned not to expect much more than that.

”In the past we have been a bit more generous in giving swimmers who did not meet the qualifying time a chance to go for the exposure but we have been tougher this time.

”We have a small team this year who have all met the qualifying time.

”However, despite meeting the silver medal time of the last Games, it will not be easy for them to win or even match that this year.

”I think that is a telling statistic of how much the sport has grown over the years.

”There are a lot of competitive swimmers across all the competing nations.

”What tends to happen at the SEA Games is that there are always one or two star athletes for each edition.

”This year, there is one girl from Vietnam (Nguyen Thi Anh Vien) who is doing very well and has peaked at the right time given her age. I think she will win five or six gold medals.

”Singapore have Tao Li and Joseph Schooling and they tend to dominate a lot of the events so to get gold is difficult.

”But having said that, we do have a few people who are in a good position to get gold.

”If everything goes perfectly well, we could probably win one or two more but there are a lot of ‘if’s’ there,” he added.

The Malaysian swimmers won 5-10-3 at the 2011 edition in Indonesia.

Malaysia Swimming Coach: Stop The Pumps!

THE Malaysian swimmers checked out the Wunna Theikdi Aquatic Stadium for the first time Monday and were not pleased with what they saw.

Coach Paul Birmingham was also not happy. He is now hoping the organisers will not switch on the water pumps during the competition which starts on Thursday.

“The water pumps generate current and it will help the swimmers on the outside lanes. They can gain half a second when it comes to the 50m distance races. I hope they (the organisers) switch it off during the heats and races.

“It happened at the recent World Youth Championships in Dubai where swimmers in the middle lanes, who were supposed to be the fastest, were at a disadvantage because of this,” said Birmingham.

Birmingham has brought a 14-member strong squad to Myanmar, but he has lowered his expectations this time.

Malaysia bagged five golds, 10 silvers and three bronzes at the 2011 edition in Indonesia but it will be hard to repeat the performance in Naypyitaw due to the absence of star swimmer Siow Yi Ting.

The four-time Olympian swimmer quit the sport two months ago and her absence will be felt in the breaststroke and medley events unless Christina Loh can get the better of the Singaporean and Thai swimmers.

Yi Ting won both the 100m and 200m breaststroke races in Indonesia.

Meanwhile, Malaysia ended the men’s water polo event on a winning note by defeating hosts Myanmar 28-11. It was Malaysia’s first win after losses to Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia in the five-team round-robin competition.

Singapore, who are seeking their 25th straight gold, will meet either Thailand or Indonesia in the final on Tuesday.

Tough Times Ahead For Malaysian Swimmers

Khoo Cai Lin (front) seen here at the World Cup meet in Barcelona in July, will be one of Malaysia's medal hopefuls in swimming at the Myanmar SEA Games next month. - Filepic

PETALING JAYA: The absence of an established performer for Malaysia in swimming means the gold medals will be hard to come by in next month’s Myanmar SEA Games.

Nurul Huda Abdullah and Jeffrey Ong ruled the pool in the 1980s but their departures were felt in subsequent Games from 1991 to 1995 as Malaysia only managed to bag two golds each time.

The tally increased again in later editions with the emergence of a new breed of swimmers based in the United States like Lim Keng Liat, Elvin Chia and Siow Yi Ting before the likes of Khoo Cai Lin and Daniel Bego began to take over.

Breaststroker Yi Ting has since called it quits two months ago due to her age and a growth in her neck.

Yi Ting’s absence will be really felt especially as she contributed two out of the five golds at the last Games in Indonesia.

So, not much is not expected of the 14-member team – nine men and five women. On top of that, five of them are newcomers as Malaysia go through a transitional period. At best, they are only considered good for only three golds.

Daniel is back after missing the previous Games to recover from shoulder injuries but it remains to be seen whether he has what it takes to repeat the five-gold splash in Laos in 2009.

The men’s squad will also have Kevin Yeap, Asian Youth Games gold medallist Lim Ching Hwang, Yap See Tuan, Shaun Yap, Wong Fu Kang,Tern Jian Han, Vernon Lee and Welson Sim while Cai Lin, Christina Loh, Erika Kong, Yap Siew Hui and Nadia Adrianna Redza make up the women’s team.

Shaun (breaststroke), Fu Kang (breaststroke), Welson (freestyle), Siew Hui (butterfly) and Nadia Adrianna Redza (breastroke) are the five promising youngsters that will be making their debuts.

“There is always a star swimmer for each SEA Games. Unfortunately, it is not going to come from Malaysia this time,” said national coach Paul Birmingham.

“Yi Ting is gone and you cannot expect Cai Lin to swim like what she did a few years ago. We will head to Myanmar this time with lower expectations but it is also interesting to see where our swimmers are heading to in future Games.

“We are expecting the likes of Siew Hui and Shaun to come good by the next Games.

“We are in the midst of rebuilding a fresh team and we can’t expect them to deliver right away.

“If they can win some medals, that would be a good start.

“SEA Games is very hard to predict as there are a lot of changes over a two-year period. We don’t really know the exact strength of our rivals,” added Birmingham.

At the last Games in Palembang, the golds came from Christina (50m event breaststroke), long distance specialist Kevin (1,500m freestyle) and Cai Lin (800m freestyle).

In Yi Ting’s absence, Christina will carry the hope of keeping the 100m and 200m breaststroke titles in Malaysian hands. There is no chance for Christina to defend her 50m breaststroke title as the event is not contested this time.

While swimming is unable to deliver as many as they used to in the past, Malaysia are pinning their hopes on the divers to match the previous haul of seven golds from Indonesia two years ago.

Malaysia are good for gold in at least five out of the eight events at stake.

Team captain Pandelela Rinong, who won the Sarawak sportswoman award for the third year running, believes the back-up divers can meet the expectations in their first major assignment.

Of the 11 divers picked, five – Chew Yi Wei, Danial Sabri, Muhd Nazreen Abdullah (men); Loh Zhiayi and Nur Dhabitah Sabri (women) – are competing in their first Games.“I am only competing in one event - the 10m platform individual as the coach wants to give Nur Dhabitah a chance to partner Leong Mun Yee to defend the 10m platform synchro title for Malaysia,” said Pandelela.

Pandelela To Focus On 10m Platform In Myanmar SEA Games

Role model: Pandelela accepting the cheque from Jabu as Land Development Minister Tan Sri Dr James Masing looks on.

PANDELELA Rinong Pamg, the Sarawak-born national diving queen, will compete in just one category, the 10m platform, at next month’s SEA Games in Myanmar.

The 20-year-old said she had decided not to participate in two other categories “to give way” to younger members of the Malaysian team.

“I’m giving up the synchronised 10m platform and the synchronised 3m springboard events,” she told reporters yesterday after accepting a cheque for RM30,000 from the Dayak Cultural Foundation at the Sarawak Legislative Assembly Complex.

“My goal at the SEA Games is to go for gold in the 10m platform event,” added the athlete from Kampung Jugan, Bau, who won bronze in the same category last year’s Olympics in London.

Foundation chairman Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Alfred Jabu presented Pandelela with the cheque for her achievements at the Summer Games.

Also present were her parents Pamg Joheng and Hartini Lamin.

In the 10m platform category, Pandelela won gold at the 2010 New Delhi Commonwealth Games and also at the 2011 Palembang SEA Games.

This year’s SEA Games, to be held in Naypyidaw, Myanmar, kicks off Dec 11.

“I’m returning to intensive training in China together with the rest of the Malaysian diving team next week,” Pandelela said.

She said she would remain with the Malaysian team in China for another two weeks.

This weekend, she is making a brief stopover in Sibu to accept a sports award.

The national diver, who continues to train eight hours on most days, is pursuing a Sports Science degree at Universiti Malaya.

Meanwhile, Jabu said the foundation’s reward to the sports star was for her sacrifices and also to inspire other youths.

“Pandelela has made all of us so proud, representing the Dayaks as a national athlete all over the world,” Jabu said.

Pandelela, when asked what she would do with the money, replied she would save it for rainy days.

Swimmer Daniel’s Got A Point To Prove

National swimmer Daniel Bego wants to prove he can still win at the SEA Games in Myanmar next month after recovering from shoulder injury that caused him to miss the last Games in Indonesia. - Filepic

PETALING JAYA: After lying low for almost two years, Daniel Bego has good reason to make a big splash when he sets his foot in Naypyitaw for the SEA Games swimming competition next month.

Daniel is just one short of an impressive tally of 10 individual gold medals from the SEA Games.

And the 24-year-old is determined to make up for lost time after undergoing two shoulder surgeries to correct a long-standing bone spur problem which prevented him from defending his titles at the last SEA Games in Indonesia.

Daniel made his SEA Games debut in Hanoi in 2003 but it was in Manila two years later that he started to make his presence felt with victories in the 200m freestyle and 100m butterfly.

The Sarawakian successfully defended the two titles in Korat in 2007 but it was at the Laos SEA Games two years later that he made ripples in the pool.

Daniel splashed to five gold medals in Vientiane, winning the 100m, 200m and 400m freestyle, and 100m and 200m butterfly. Four of the victories came along with SEA Games records.

From a rollercoaster high, his career then took a massive dip when he had to go through a long rehabilitation period to let his shoulders heal.

Daniel had to give up participation in the 2011 SEA Games and a chance to make his second Olympic appearance in London as well last year.

This is why Daniel can consider half the battle is already won as he looks forward to his fifth SEA Games appearance.

”I am just relieved I am going to the SEA Games again.

”It was a tough period when I had to lay off the pool for some time to let my shoulders recover properly.

”The coach (Paul Birmingham) says I missed tons of training and he is right.

”It took me some time to get my speed back to a decent level and there were times when I doubted myself, whether I could do it again,” said Daniel, who underlined his intentions ahead of his return to the SEA Games scene with a strong performance in the FINA Swimming World Cup short course meet in Singapore recently.

Daniel managed to qualify for the 400m freestyle final en route to finishing sixth.

Daniel has been entered for four individual events in Myanmar - 100m, 200m and 400m freestyle as well as the 100m butterfly.

The 200m butterfly has been dropped from the programme but Daniel would not have had much chance against World Championships semi-finalist Joseph Schooling of Singapore, who has openly declared his intention to rule the pool by raking in a possible tally of seven individual golds.

If anything, the 400m freestyle offers Daniel the strongest chance of bringing his gold medal collection to 10 but for now he is just set on enjoying himself in the pool.

”I am looking forward to racing at the SEA Games again. There are faster swimmers out there but I am not worried at this point. I can only prepare the best I can for the competition,” added Daniel, who holds five national swimming records (100m, 200m and 400m freestyle, and 100m and 200m butterfly).

Aquatics have been singled out as the biggest gold medal contributor in Myanmar during the team managers’ meeting to finalise the Malaysian contingent recently.Swimmming and diving are expected to deliver nothing less than 10 gold medals this time to help the Malaysian contingent reach the target of 40.

Mun Yee To Make It A Record Nine SEA Games Outings

Leong Mun Yee (left) and Pandelela Rinong after winning the bronze in the women's 10m platform synchronised diving at the 15th FINA World Championships in Spain in July. Mun Yee has participated in every SEA Games since 1997 at the tender age of 13.

PETALING JAYA: Diver Leong Mun Yee is set to create a record unlikely to be surpassed by other Malaysians at the SEA Games.

Mun Yee, who will turn 29 on Dec 4, will be making her ninth straight SEA Games appearance in Myanmar next month. Mun Yee currently shares the record of eight appearances with karate exponent P. Arivalagan.

Mun Yee was barely 13 when she was picked to join the national training programme in 1997. That same year she made her SEA Games debut in Jakarta where she was placed fifth in the 3m springboard event.

It proved to be good exposure for her. In Brunei two years later, Mun Yee bagged two silvers in the platform and springboard events.

“I finished behind team-mate Farah Begum Abdullah in the 3m springboard but I was very happy. Another team-mate Yeoh Ken Nee also took the men’s 3m springboard gold. It was the first time diving contributed gold medals at the SEA Games level and we have not looked back since then,” recalled Mun Yee.

Mun Yee finally made the breakthrough when Malaysia hosted the 2001 Games. She won four golds for her best achievement in a single Games.

She then went on to win one in 2003 (Hanoi), two each in 2005 (Manila), 2007 (Korat) and 2009 (Vientiane) and one in 2011 (Palembang). She now has a total of 12 golds, making her the most successful Malaysian diver at SEA Games level.

With age catching up, Mun Yee has scaled down her events. She only competed in one discipline at the last Games in Indonesia two years ago.

“I only took part in the 10m platform synchro with Traisy Vivien Tukiet. It is now all about guiding the younger ones at the SEA Games,” said Mun Yee.

In Maynmar, Mun Yee will again play the mentor role. She will combine with youngster Nur Dhabitah Sabri to defend the 10m platform synchro title for Malaysia.

Dhabitah will be Mun Yee’s seventh different partner at the SEA Games level dating back to Kuala Lumpur in 2001 when the synchro disciplines were introduced for the first time.

“My objective has changed compared to my earlier SEA Games appearances, but the end result is still the same – to bring glory to the country.

“I have never missed the SEA Games since I made my debut in 1997. The interest is still there, otherwise it will be hard for me to go through the training.

“Previously, it was establishing ourselves at the Games and the expectations were not high as we were not known as a diving power.

“But now it’s different. We are expected to deliver gold medals. I have always given my best, regardless of who I am partnered with,” said Mun Yee, who is now attending a one-month training stint with the national team in Guangzhou.

Divers Set For Another Golden Harvest In The SEA Games

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian divers have the quality to grab the lion's share of the gold medals in next month's SEA Games. But for that to happen, fair judging must prevail in Korat.

The organisers of the Korat Games reinstated the full programme of the diving competition a few months back and it is good news for the Malaysian contingent, who are looking at aquatics as one of the main medal contributors.

Four events - the men's and women's 1m springboard, men's 3m springboard and women's 10m platform synchronised – were initially not included and it would have meant missed opportunities at winning gold medals for Malaysia.

Two of the five Malaysian golds from diving in Manila 2005 came from the men's 1m springboard through Yeoh Ken Nee and Leong Mun Yee-Cheong Jun Hoong in the women's 10m platform synchronised event.

The Malaysian divers staved off a fierce challenge from hosts Philippines amidst claims of unfair judging to emerge as overall champions in diving two years ago. Both ended with five gold medals but Malaysia raked in more silver and bronze medals.

Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia (Asum) secretary Edwin Chong said the group of eight divers selected for the Korat SEA Games would be going in to contend for gold medals in all 10 events.

“We have assembled the best group of divers and all should be able to come back with medals.

“To win five gold medals is not that difficult for our divers but whether we are able to get more than that is another matter, considering diving being a subjective sport in nature.

“If our athletes do really well and not stumble on their dives, we have a good chance of bagging more,” said Edwin.

And that is where good preparations play an important role.

The Malaysians are being trained to perform higher level of difficulties in a bid to keep their competitive edge over their rivals.

Ken Nee, a double gold medallist in Manila in the individual 1m and 3m springboard titles, looks good to chalk a repeat in Korat provided he can hold off a strong challenge expected from Thai diver Suchart Puchi.

Suchart played second fiddle to Ken Nee in both individual springboard events in Manila but there are fears that home ground advantage may spoil it for Malaysia.

However, Ken Nee-Rossharisham, who have won two bronze medals in the FINA World Grand Prix Diving this year, may prove to be too strong for the field in the 3m springboard synchronised.

Bryan Nickson, who was the first Malaysian athlete to earn a place in the Beijing Olympics, is also expected to retain the 10m platform individual gold without any trouble.

In the women's competition, Malaysia can bank on world junior champion Elizabeth Jimie and Mun Yee to challenge for the 1m and and 3m springboard individual titles.

There is also a chance of a surprise gold coming from 13-year-old Pandelela Rinong, who will partner Jun Hoong for the 10m platform synchronised event. The new combination beat the former SEA Games gold medallists Shenny Ratna Amelia and Herliani Dias Sukhamati of Indonesia to win the gold in the Asian Junior Championships in Jakarta in August.

Kevin Recovers In Time For SEA Games

Kevin Yeap in a file photo. He sees team-mate Daniel Bego as his biggest challenger in the 400m freestyle event at the SEA Games.

NAYPYITAW: A viral infection almost wrecked long distance swimmer Kevin Yeap’s SEA Games dream but he is relieved to have seen the worst of it.

And Kevin is more determined than ever to stamp his mark as the region’s top middle and long distance male swimmer when the swimming competition gets under way at the Wunna Theikdi Aquatic Centre Thursday.

Kevin was stuck in bed as a result of the viral infection, causing him to not only miss two weeks of training but also shed a few kilos due to his weakened state.

“I had to skip the World Cup short-course meet in Singapore last month because of the viral infection.

“My body became so weak that I just slept for two days straight.

“I came back to training three weeks ago but I recovered and I’ve been much, much better since then,” said the 25-year-old who hails from Perak.

Kevin rose to the occasion to deliver gold in the 400m freestyle in the absence of defending champion Daniel Bego in Palembang two years ago.

However, he lost a chance to claim a double when he settled for silver behind Singapore’s Quah Zheng Wen in the 1,500m freestyle.

Two years have passed ,and having lowered his personal bests consistently, Kevin is optimistic he is in good condition to fight for a double in Naypyitaw this time.

On his competition, Kevin reckons Daniel to be his strongest challenger in the defence of his 400m freestyle title.

Kevin set a new national mark of 3:53.26 at the Malaysian Open in Bukit Jalil in May, erasing Daniel’s mark of 3:53.99 set in winning the event at the Laos SEA Games.

“Daniel is swimming close to my personal best and he did well in the World Cup meet in Singapore last month although it’s a short-course meet.

”There is a young Thai boy (Tanakrit Kittiya) but he is a few seconds slower than me, so I feel it will be a fight between me and Daniel for the 400m freestyle.”

On the longer distance race, Kevin, who has a personal best of 15:32.51 set at the Malaysian Open last year, said it will be harder as Zheng Wen is the swimmer to beat.

“The only thing is I heard he went for national service a few months ago, so we don’t know his current form. But he should be preparing well like me, so we have to see,” said Kevin, who is also swimming in the 4x200m freestyle relay.

Daniel's All Set To Make SEA Games Return

Swimmer Daniel Bego last competed in the SEA Games in 2009 in Laos when he won five gold medals.

PETALING JAYA: Swimmer Daniel Bego underlined his intentions ahead of his return to the SEA Games scene in Myanmar next month with a strong performance in the FINA Swimming World Cup short course meet in Singapore.

The 24-year-old, who missed the last SEA Games in Indonesia to recover from a shoulder operation, managed to qualify for the 400m freestyle final en route to finishing sixth in 3:50.87. 50m backstroke short course world record holder Robert Hurley of Australia won the event in 3:38.68.

Daniel was about five seconds slower in Wednesday morning’s heat and narrowly beat compatriot Vernon Lee (3:55.84) to sneak into the final as the eighth and last qualifier on 3:55.52.

The Sarawakian is best remembered for his five gold medal splash at the Laos SEA Games in 2009, winning the 100m, 200m and 400m freestyle, and 100m and 200m butterfly. Four of the victories came along with SEA Games records.

Daniel will surely be out to make up for lost time after undergoing two shoulder surgeries to correct a long-standing bone spur problem that prevented him from defending his titles at the last SEA Games.

He only returned to competitive action early this year after a long period of rehabilitation and the first sign of improvement was when he bagged his first gold medal in the 100m butterfly at the Malaysian Open in May.

He then continued his momentum at the Kazan Universiade, clocking a good time of 50.86 in the 100m freestyle to qualify for SEA Games.

The Myanmar SEA Games qualifying mark is based on the silver medal time from the previous edition in Palembang (50.92) and it was refreshing to see Daniel posting his season best in Kazan.

Daniel was not the only national swimmer to impress on the first day as Christina Loh, Khoo Cai Lin and Yap See Tuan also posted top eight finishes, too.

Christina, who is entrusted with replacing Siow Yi Ting as breaststroke queen of the region, touched the wall at 1:08.94 to settle for a strong fifth in the women’s 100m breaststroke, five seconds behind winner Alia Atkinson of Jamaica (1:03.48).

See Tuan (2:14.53) and Cai Lin (8:42.73) finished seventh respectively in the men’s 200m breaststroke and women’s 800m freestyle.

National coach Paul Birmingham wants the swimmers to participate in some races to build up their competitive spirit ahead of the Myanmar SEA Games where they will renew their rivalry with regional counterparts.

Short course timings on a 25m pool are generally faster than those set on long course as the swimmers get extra speed when they push off the wall.