Tuesday 26 November 2013

The NST : SWIMMING: Shaun can’t wait to make his mark

By Fadhli Ishak

SWIMMER Shaun Yap is looking to end what has been a breakthrough year for him with a strong showing on his debut at the Sea Games next month.

Shaun, who will be competing in the 100 and 200 metre breaststroke events, believes he has a reasonable shot at clinching a medal from either category at the Wunna Theikdi aquatics complex in Naypyitaw.

His current personal bests in the 100m and 200m stand at  one minute 3.3 seconds and 2:18.70s respectively.

"Physically I am in good condition but I have not improved on my times for the last three or four months. I am hoping to do so in Myanmar," said Shaun.

"I want to win in both but I think I have a better chance in the 100m.

"The winning time for the 100m was 1:02.01s (Nuttapong Ketin, Thailand) which is not far from my   personal best."

The Help Academy A-Level student,  who trains twice a day from 6:30am-8:30am and 3:30-6:30pm daily and goes to classes in between, added that he is still hungry for success after a long competitive season.

"It has been a long season but I am still very excited about going to the Sea Games, especially as it is my first time.

"It (studying, training and competing) is tough to balance but I try my best to cope. The Sea Games is the last major tournament of the year and has been the focus for me for the past few months.

"I will start tapering next week and hopefully I will be at my best when it matters."

The 18-year-old had in February set a  national record of 29.12 seconds, .34 faster than the old mark, in the 50m breaststroke at the Selangor Age Group Championships (SAGC).

He went on to further lower that mark  at the National Age Group Championships in April where he clocked a blistering 28.69 seconds to clinch gold and qualification to the World Championships in Barcelona (August).

He also took bronze in the 50m breaststroke at the Islamic Games in Indonesia last month. The category, however, is not part of the Sea Games this time.


Read more: SWIMMING: Shaun can’t wait to make his mark - Other - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/sports/other/swimming-shaun-can-t-wait-to-make-his-mark-1.412184#ixzz2lknmSTht

No comments:

Post a Comment

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...