PETALING JAYA: Vietnam SEA Games gold medallist swimmer Khiew Hoe Yean (pic) missed out on improving his own national record in his last event at the World Aquatics Championships in Budapest.
The 20-year-old had two American title contenders for company in his heat in the men’s 200m backstroke but it failed to push him further.
Hoe Yean managed to finish eighth, clocking 2:03.12 for 24th overall position.
World short course reigning champion Shaine Casas of United States won the heat in 1:56.66 ahead of Australia’s Joshua Edwards-Smith (1:56.85) and fellow American Ryan Murphy (1:56.96) to be among the top 16 swimmers to advance to the semi-finals.
Murphy is the four-time Olympic gold medallist and silver medallist in the 100m backstroke final on Monday.
Hoe Yean’s time was slower than the 2:01.67 he posted in taking silver at the Vietnam SEA Games last month.
He holds the national record of 2:00.80 set in the Malaysian Open in Bukit Jalil last year.
Hoe Yean enjoyed a superb start to his campaign in Budapest when he erased Welson Sim’s national record of 3:49.29 when he clocked 3:48.72 to place 15th in the men’s 400m freestyle last Saturday.
Hoe Yean was placed 27th in the men’s 200m freestyle (1:48.37).
