Jinq En unhappy with slow time despite making the cut for Hanoi

PETALING JAYA: Swimmer Phee Jinq En (pic) was not too pleased despite punching her ticket to a place in the Vietnam SEA Games under category A time.

The 24-year-old, representing her home state Selangor, posted 1:10.50 to take gold in the women’s 100m breaststroke at the Malaysian Open swimming championships at the National Aquatic Centre in Bukit Jalil yesterday.

Jinq En’s winning time saw her beating the SEA Games A qualifying mark of 1:10.70 in her pet event.

Tab Tan Rouxin of Johor took the silver in 1:14.65 while Elsa Eow of Kuala Lumpur took the bronze in 1:17.75.

But despite stamping her mark once again, Jinq En felt she slowed down in the last 25 metres.

“It’s not one of my best performance. Physically, I am feeling quite strong but it’s just that I am a bit annoyed at myself for not pushing a little bit harder at the end,” she said.

“I guess I’m used to people beating me or having someone next to me to push me until the end when I was in the United States,” said the Tokyo Olympian swimmer, who graduated from Purdue University in Indiana last year.

“It’s 100 per cent my fault. I may be able to swim faster if there is someone who goes 1:06 or say 1:09 next to me,” she added.

Jinq En has high expectation on as she needs to be at top speed to defend the SEA Games title for Malaysia in Vietnam in May.

At the 2019 edition in Philippines, Jinq En splashed to victory in a new Games record of 1:08.50.

Jinq En is the current national record holder in the event with 1:08.40, which she set in Tokyo last year.

Khiew Hoe Yean was also in his element as he continued to get the better of the more experienced Welson Sim.

Hoe Yean won the men’s 400m freestyle final race in 3:50.56. Welson, who left the national set-up last month, finished a distant second for Sarawak in 3:57.88 while Kuala Lumpur’s Jayden Tan got bronze in 4:01.95.

KL Hoe Yean’s time saw him making the A cut for the Vietnam SEA Games with the qualifying time set at 3:52.65.

Former SEA Games gold medallist Welson has a second shot at qualifying on merit for Vietnam when he swims the 200m freestyle tomorrow.

RESULTS (All finals)

MEN

50m backstroke: 1. Terence Ng (Sel) 27.52, 2. Arvin Singh Chalal (Ter) 27.79, 3. Haziq Haris Lua (Joh) 27.92.

100m breaststroke: 1. Andrew Goh (Sel) 1:04.28, 2. Hii Puong Wei (Swk) 1:04.49, 3. Ng Jing Fu (Sel) 1:04.60.

100m butterfly: 1. Ng Tze Xiang (Sel) 55.42, 2. Low Zheng Yong (Mel) 55.60, 3. Nuri Saadan Khaulid (Swk) 57.88.

400m freestyle: 1. Khiew Hoe Yean (Kul) 3:50.56, 2. Welson Sim (Swk) 3:57.88, 3. Jayden Tan (Kul) 4:01.95.

WOMEN

50m backstroke: 1. Chong Xin Lin (Kul) 30.02, 2. Tan Rouxin (Joh) 30.64, 3. Christy Teh (Sel) 32.22.

100m breaststroke: 1. Phee Jinq En 1:10.50, 2. Tan Rouxin (Joh) 1:14.65, 3. Elsa Eow (Kul) 1:17.75.

100m butterfly: 1. Ong Yong Qi (Joh) 1:04.38, 2. Lim Shun Qi (Sel) 1:04.52, 3. Kellyn Choong (Sel) 1:05.55.

400m freestyle: 1. Goh Chia Tong (Mel) 4:27.55, 2. Kelly Teo (Swk) 4:33.39, 3. Anne Cecilie (Kul) 4:41.24.