The Star : Malaysia add three more golds from the pool at Asean Uni Games

BY LIM TEIK HUAT

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia continued to make a splash in the pool, with the swimmers hauling in three more gold medals in the Asean University Games (AUG) at the OCBC Aquatic Centre in Singapore.

Erika Kong completed a breaststroke double when she won the women’s 50m final on Wednesday in 32.87 seconds.

Thailand’s Jenjira Srisa-Ard (33.15) took silver ahead of Indonesia’s Marga Kretapradani (33.92).

Erika, who bagged the 100m breaststroke gold medal on Tuesday, was happy to have contributed another gold for the nation in the biennial Games.

Erika completed a breaststroke double when she won the women’s 50m final. She had won the 100m breaststroke gold on Tuesday.

“I was nervous before the race, but I didn’t let it affect me. I’ve been competing against them since I was 15 at the SEA Games and other age-group meets. So, the competition is always close. I still have the 200m individual medley on Friday,” said 20-year-old Erika, who is from Sarawak.

Kevin Yeap earned his second gold as part of the successful 4x200m freestyle Malaysian quartet. The team of Keith Lim, Yeap Zheng Yang, Kevin and Foong Wei Tze clocked 7:34.21 to snatch the gold ahead of Indonesia (7:34.66) and Thailand (7:39.64).

Kevin came out tops in his pet event – 1,500m freestyle – on Tuesday to deliver Malaysia’s first gold.

Wong Fu Kang gave Malaysia the third gold of the day in the men’s 50m breaststroke event. In the final, the Johor-born Fu Kang touched the wall first in 28.91, not far off his national record of 28.67 which was set when he took silver for Malaysia at the same venue during the Singapore SEA Games last year.

Nathaniel Gagarin of Indonesia (29.08) took silver and his team-mate Dennis Josua (29.15) the bronze.

Khoo Cai Lin, Erika, Chris Tan and Chui Lai Kwan took bronze in the women’s 4x200m freestyle in 8:56.34.

The Malaysian contingent also bagged a gold in silat after Rosli Mohd Sharif and Taqiyuddin Hamid combined to win the men’s Ganda event (non-sparring).

Muhd Afifi Nordin took silver in the men’s Tunggal event (non-sparring).

Malaysia have won six golds, three silvers and four bronzes so far in the 11-nation AUG.