PETALING JAYA: Watch out for young swimmer Loo Yie Bing to sprint to glory for Sabah at the Sukma (Malaysia Games) in September.
Yie Bing is only 15 but she is now the proud holder of the 100m national record after an outstanding performance in the Malaysian Invitational Age-Group Championships (MIAG) in Bukit Jalil which ended on Sunday.
She bagged a total of seven gold medals in the girls’ Group 2 (13-14) but the highlight was her big splash in the 100m freestyle, clocking 57.56 to dip under the national record mark of 57.59 held by Chui Lai Kwan since 2009.
Lai Kwan is also from Sabah and was one of the top freestyle sprinters for Malaysia, winning the SEA Games gold medal in the 50m freestyle in Korat in 2007.
Yie Bing also swept the 50m and 200m freestyle races as well as the 50m and 100m butterfly; and also the 50m and 100m breaststroke.
Her coach back in Sabah is also none other than former Olympian and SEA Games gold medallist breaststroker Elvin Chia.
Yie Bing won the Most Outstanding Female Swimmer award after walking away with eight gold medals in the 7-12 age-group category when she last swam at the MSSM (national schools championships) in Ipoh back in 2019.
Malaysia Swimming secretary Mae Chen was happy to see several young swimmers making their mark with record-breaking efforts in the meet.
“We have states who are trying their best to develop swimmers,” said Mae.
“Yie Bing has shown a lot of potential in the junior category and at her age, she has managed to break the 100m freestyle national record, which is not easy as it was set by former national swimmer Lai Kwan in the fast suit era.
“She also broke Lai Kwan’s previous meet record of 59.39 that has stood since 2005.
“We have recommended her for the SportExcel scholarship and I believe she will be one of the young swimmers who can make an impact in the coming Sukma,” she said.
Bryan Leong, 18, who sprinted to a new national record in the 50m freestyle at the Hanoi SEA Games, also came close to his personal best in winning the event in 23.34.
His winning time was still a new meet record, eclipsing the previous mark of 23.55 held by Chan Jie since 2015.
Hanoi SEA Games gold medallist Khiew Hoe Yean also splashed to seven gold medals in the 100m, 200m and 400m freestyle; and the 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke as well as the 200m individual medley.