Yes, I did it: Jayden Tan celebrates after winning the men’s 400m freestyle race in he Malaysian Open swimming championships in Bukit Jalil. – AZLINA ABDULLAH/The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: Youngster Jayden Tan provided the biggest splash for Federal Territories when he claimed the men’s 400m freestyle gold medal on the first day of the Malaysian Open swimming championships at the National Aquatic Centre in Bukit Jalil yesterday.
The 20-year-old rose to the occasion to keep the men’s 400m freestyle title in Malaysian hands after Olympian Welson Sim and Vietnam SEA Games gold medallist Khiew Hoe Yean decided to scratch from the middle distance freestyle event.
Welson, who has yet to make the individual cut for the SEA Games, will be saving it all up for the men’s 200m freestyle tomorrow while Hoe Yean has already qualified on merit for the Games by virtue of being the silver medallist from the last Games.
Jayden clocked 3:56.92 to win the 400m freestyle final race ahead of Omar Abbass of Syria (4:00.60) and Huang Guo-ting of Taiwan (4:01.83).
His time is just outside the Cambodia SEA Games qualifying mark of 3:56.68.
“It’s a new personal best and I’m happy with what I’ve managed as I previously clocked 3:58 when I won the silver in this event at the Sukma (Malaysia Games) also in this pool last year.
“Now I hope to do a good time when I swim the 400m individual medley tomorrow,” said Jayden.
Jayden went on to claim a second gold medal for Federal Territories as part of the 4x100m medley relay in 3:49.81.
Tokyo Olympian Phee Jinq En came out tops in the women’s 100m breaststroke final in 1:10.06 ahead of Taiwan’s Hung Chieh-yu (1:10.39) and Johor’s Tan Rouxin (1:12.26).
Jinq En returned to the pool shortly to swim the breaststroke leg for Selangor as the quartet claimed the silver in 4:29.44 behind Taiwan (4:11.47).
