The Star Online : Swimming squad to forge on without Yi Ting, Ian

By Lim Teik Huat

KUALA LUMPUR: A 14-member swimming squad will head to Naypyitaw for the Myanmar SEA Games without seasoned campaigner Siow Yi Ting and promising youngster Ian James Barr.

While multiple SEA Games gold medallist breaststroke swimmer Yi Ting has handed in her resignation letter to notify Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia (Asum) of her intention to quit, Pahang Sukma gold medallist Ian is skipping the Games after undergoing surgery to correct a bone spur problem.

The 18-year-old Ian had to go for the operation to correct the career-threatening injury and will be out for at least six months.

Yi Ting captured two gold medals in the 100m and 200m breaststroke events at the Indonesia SEA Games last year and with the veteran’s absence, the Malaysian challenge will be shouldered by Christina Loh and newcomer Nadia Adrianna Redza.

Christina made a dream debut at the last SEA Games in Palembang when she took the 50m breaststroke gold but the event is not in the programme for Myanmar.

In Ian’s absence, Pahang Sukma double gold medallist Tern Jian Han will swim in the men’s 100m and 200m backststroke events for Malaysia.

It would have been the third SEA Games appearance for Ian in Myanmar but his mother Irene Low Barr said it was better to opt out to allow a full recovery.

“Ian went for an operation in September and he is now going for rehabilitation. It will be about six months before he can swim competitively.

“Initially, he had a slight muscle tear but the bigger problem was when it was found out that there was a bone growing on another bone.

“The shoulder pain has been there and in fact he was swimming in pain at the last SEA Games in Indonesia. The pain gets to him every time he trains harder and that is why his performance was not so good the past one year.

“It’s okay if he skips the SEA Games as there are more important Games for him to look forward to next year like the Commonwealth and Asian Games,” she said.

Ian holds the national record for the 200m individual medley and took bronze in the event at the last SEA Games in Indonesia.

Yi Ting’s absence’s also means Malaysia’s challenge for gold in the swimming pool will be weakened and the country will be banking on other seasoned campaigners like Kevin Yeap and Khoo Cai Lin to rise to the occasion.

Kevin and Cai Lin took golds in the 400m and 800m freestyle races respectively in Palembang but will face stiff challenge from their Singaporean rivals.

There is also gold medal expectations on Lim Ching Hwang in the men’s short and middle distance sprints (50m, 100m and 200m) while Daniel Bego’s return to form will be welcomed after the Sarawakian missed the last SEA Games to recover from shoulder injuries.

Daniel bagged five gold medals in the Laos Games in 2009.

Youngster Shaun Yap may also spring a surprise in the men’s 100m or 200m breaststroke event.

Of the 14 swimmers in the team, five will be making their first appearance in the Games.

The women swimmers are Asian Youth Games silver medallist Yap Siew Hui and Nadia while the males taking part are Shaun, Wong Fu Kang and Welson Sim.

SEA Games swimming team

Men: Yap See Tuan, Daniel Bego, Lim Ching Hwang, Kevin Yeap, Shaun Yap, Wong Fu Kang, Tern Jian Han, Vernon Lee, Welson Sim.

Women: Khoo Cai Lin, Christina Loh, Nadia Adrianna Redza, Yap Siew Hui, Erika Kong.

Happy Deepavali 2013

Yap Li Wen charting good progress in Kedah meet

IBSC swimmer, Yap Li Wen, 13, is charting good progress in her pet event, breaststroke. Her achievements of one gold and two silver in the recent Kedah Invitational Championship on 12-13 October 2013 proved her potentials.

An easy going dimpled Li Wen was proud when she clocked record times in all the breaststroke events. In the 200m breaststroke, Li Wen did an amazing time of 2:50.50s to overwrite her own previous meet record time in 2012 of 2:59.19s to collect her gold. However, Li Wen said "I think I could still do a better timing especially in the 200m breaststroke and 200m freestyle."

She also shattered 2 records together with the gold medallist in the 100m and 50m breaststroke, coming in second with a new PB of 1:17.88s and 36.28s respectively. Li Wen enjoyed the meet and commented that there were many strong swimmers from Penang.

Li Wen also thanked her parents and coach, Coach Shazali Salleh for their support.

The full results of the 10th Kedah International Invitational Swimming Championship 2013 can be viewed here.

PRAKL Age Group Swimming Championship 2014

Dear IBSC Members,

Please note that next year's PRAKL Age Group Swimming Championship 2014 has been scheduled as follows :-

Date : 10- 12 January, 2014 (Friday - Sunday)
Venue : Kompleks Renang Kuala Lumpur, Bandar Tun Razak
Organiser : Kuala Lumpur Amateur Swimming Association
Date of Reckoning : 1 January, 2014
Entry Deadline : 13 December, 2013

Kindly download PRAKL 2014 Invite, Rules and Order of Events

IBSC Entry Form will be distributed at a later date.

Star Online : Host Russia break world record in mixed relay

MOSCOW (AFP): South Africa’s Olympic and world champion Chad Le Clos claimed two more wins at the Moscow World Cup swimming meet on Sunday with victories in the 100m butterfly and 200m individual medley.

South African swimmer Chad Le Clos bags two more gold medals at the FINA Swimming World Cup in Moscow on Sunday. AFP PHOTO/ Olaf Kraak.

The hosts meanwhile clocked a new world record in the 4x50m mixed freestyle relay in one minute 33.01 second ahead of second-placed Brazil (1:33.43) and third-placed Japan (1:33.48).

The 21-year-old Le Clos, who won the 200m butterfly on Saturday, was also the first in the 100m butterfly in 49.34. The United States’ Tom Shields finished second in 49.74, while Pole Konrad Czerniak was third in 50.66.

In the 200m individual medley, Le Clos clocked one minute 53.04 seconds to finish ahead of second-placed Australian Kenneth To and Pawel Korzeniowski of Poland, who was third.

Russia’s Vladimir Morozov, who is currently second in the World Cup overall standings, took the 50m freestyle in 20.59 to beat Roland Schoeman (21.15) and George Bovell of Trinidad and Tobago (21.49).

To, last year’s World Cup winner, won the 100m breaststroke with a time of 58.42 with Great Britain’s Michael Jamieson coming second at 58.83, while Russia’s Viatcheslav Sinkevich touched in for third at 58.89.

In the women’s events, Katinka Hosszu of Hungary, the 2012 World Cup winner and current leader of the 2013 series, also claimed the gold in 400m induividual medley and 200m butterfly.

“My goal was to be in the top three in every race,” Hosszu said. “There is a new rule – you get points for every medal.”

“So this was a pretty good display for me here with five podiums and one gold on Saturday and two golds and two podiums on Sunday.”

Lithuanian 16-year old Ruta Meilutyte, who set a new world record in the women’s 100 breaststroke on Saturday, also won two more golds – in the 50m breaststroke and 100m individual medley.

Sweden’s Sarah Sjoestroem prevailed in the 100m freestyle (51.93) as well as the 50m butterfly (25.56).

Star Online : Lithuanian record-breaker Meilutyte lights up World Cup

MOSCOW: Lithuania’s Ruta Meilutyte smashed the women’s 100m breaststroke short-course world record on Saturday, one of two new marks set at a World Cup meeting in Moscow.

Lithuania’s Ruta Meilutyte smashes the women’s 100m breaststroke short-course world record at the World Cup meet in Moscow on Saturday. — AFP

The 16-year-old Meilutyte clocked 1:02.36 to easily break the previous best of 1:02.70 set by American Rebecca Soni at Manchester in December 2009.

“I didn’t expect to set any records,” said the Lithuanian teenager who finished 1.17 ahead of Russian Yulia Efimova, with Jamaican Alia Shanee Atkinson in third (1:04.64).

“I started practising seriously just three weeks ago and I’m still far from my top form.

“But every meeting with Efimova forces me to stay completely focused. I love to compete with her as it brings out the best of me over the distance. Today’s record is the best proof of it.”

Russia’s team number one (Sergei Makov, Andrey Grechin, Daria Tcvetkova and Ekaterina Borovikova) also set a new world record in the mixed 4x50m medley relay with a time of 1:41.70.

2012 World Cup winner Katinka Hosszu of Hungary, who tops the women’s World Cup general standings, clinched five podium places (200m and 800m freestyle, 100m butterfly, 50m and 200m backstroke) before winning the 200m individual medley with a time of 2:06.86.

Sarah Sjoestroem of Sweden was also on song winning three events (50m and 200m freestyles and 100m butterfly) in Moscow’s Olympic swimming pool.

South Africa’s Olympic and world champion Chad Le Clos won the men’s 200m butterfly.

The 21-year-old, who beat Michael Phelps in the event at last year’s London Olympics, clocked a time of 1:49.83 to finish more than two seconds ahead of American Tom Shields.

“I’m happy to come back to Moscow where I’ve won previously on several occasions,” Le Clos said.

Le Clos finished second in the 50m butterfly won in 22.36 by compatriot Roland Schoeman, who also won the 50m breaststroke (25.83).

The local crowd’s favourite Vladimir Morozov, who is currently second in the World Cup overall standings, finished first in the men’s 100m freestyle with a time of 45.68.

Morozov then went on to top the podium in the 100m individual medley. — AFP

IBSC Entry Form for President Cup 2013

Dear IBSC Swimmers,

Please be informed that the Entry Form for the 32nd National Inter-Club Swimming Championship for the President Cup 2013 can be downloaded below.

IBSC Entry Form
President Cup 2013 Invite, Rules and Order of Events
Age Group Qualifying Times

For new or younger swimmers, kindly note that there are Qualifying Times (QT) imposed by the organiser. In the event the final time swum is slower that the QT set, there will be a fine of RM100 per event.

Kindly complete the form together with cheque payment and return them to your respective coaches on or before 15 Oct 2013. Late entries will not be entertained.

Should you have any queries, please raise them to the IBSC officers in-charge of the meet below :

Team Manager : Ms Vivian Ong
Chaperon : Ms Chua Poh Lin

Read previous posting on 32nd National Inter-Club Swimming Championship for the President Cup 2013.

Bernama News : Malaysia A Force To Be Reckoned With In ISG

From Ahmad Muliady Abdul Majid

PALEMBANG, Oct 2 (Bernama) -- Malaysia have proven to be a force to be reckoned with in the Islamic Solidarity Games (ISG) after sealing fourth in medal tally in the just concluded third ISG here.

In their greatest performance ever, Malaysia finished with 26 gold, 17 silver and 29 bronze medals behind champions Indonesia (36, 34, 34), Iran (30, 17, 12) and Egypt (26, 31, 29) in the 58-nation championship.

It surpassed their medal tally of five gold, five silver and six bronze when they finished seventh at the first ISG in Saudi Arabia in 2005.

Congratulating the national contingent, Youth and Sports Ministry secretary-general Datuk Jamil Salleh said Malaysians should feel proud of the phenomenal achievement which he attributed to earnest commitment from athletes, sports associations, the ministry, National Sports Council (NSC), Olympic Council of Malaysia and National Sports Institute.

"The strong support has enabled the NSC to make a rigorous preparation to shape up the athletes before the crunch," he told Bernama Wednesday.

He said however, a post-mortem would be carried out to study the success as well as the weaknesses to ensure that the athletes would be in top form for the Myanmar SEA Games in December.

NSC director-general Datuk Seri Zolkples Embong said the Palembang ISG was one of the best exposure for the athletes before the SEA Games and he was proud of their achievement as they brought honour to the country.

He commended badminton players for outpacing Indonesian shuttlers by winning six of seven gold medals up for grab and swimmers for winning 12 gold, the highest contribution to the medal haul.

The performance of wushu exponents was beyond expectation as they lifted four gold, six silver and three bronze medals although no target set for them, he said, adding that the archers won three gold while karate, one gold, in keenly fought battles.

Zolkples said the athletes, mostly youngsters from within and outside NSC programmes, managed to overcome emotions and stress competing before fanatic local partisan supporters.

"Our athletes showed strong fighting spirit and kudos for their success," he said.

--BERNAMA