Ex-nationals Chan Jie and Lai Kwan show they can still make a big splash

PETALING JAYA: It was a day when former national swimmers Chan Jie and Chui Lai Kwan showed they can still pack a punch despite having left the full-time training programme many years ago.

Selangor’s Chan Jie continues to amaze at the age of 28 when he splashed to his second silver in the men’s 50m freestyle at the Malaysian Open swimming championships at the National Aquatic Centre in Bukit Jalil yesterday.

Chan Jie strode to second spot in 23.00s behind American swimmer Diggory Dillingham (22.83s).

Both swimmers dipped under the Malaysian Open meet record of 23.07s set by national swimmer Bryan Leong last year.

It’s nothing short of an impressive display from Chan Jie, considering he last represented the country at the 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines before calling it quits from the national programme.

Chan Jie has been training on his own while doubling up as a part-time coach during the weekends.

Chan Jie looks like he is able to tap into his own potential even more than before as it was in February at the SEA age-group swimming championships in the Philippines when he eclipsed Bryan’s national record in the men’s 50m butterfly.

“It’s a new personal best and I knew I was in good form as I was very close to breaking my own national record in the 50m butterfly on Thursday,” said Chan Jie, who clocked 24.15s to take silver in the 50m butterfly and the time is just 0.01s behind his national record.

“I do have a coach (Francis Kiu). However, I am no longer with the national team as I can’t follow their programme as I am working and managing my own business.

“Maybe, there is no pressure to perform to certain expectations, and things are working better for me,” he added.

In the women’s 50m freestyle, former Olympian and SEA Games gold medallist Lai Kwan can still boast of being crowned national champion at the age of 33.

The Sabah-born swimmer splashed to victory in 26.21s ahead of Indonesian Serenna Karmelita Muslim (26.74s) ad Mongolian Enkhkhuslen Batbayar (26.83s).

Lai Kwan represented the nation at the Beijing 2008 Olympics and is still the national record holder in the 50m freestyle with a time of 25.82s which she set back in 2015.

Men

50m freestyle: 1. Diggory Dillingham (US) 22.83, 2. Chan Jie (Sel) 23.00, 3. Rasmus Nickelsen (Den) 23.08.

1,500m freestyle: 1. Mohd Dhuha Zulfikry (Kul) 8:15.31, 2. Goh Li Hen (Sel) 8:26.68, 3. Ali Jafari (Iri) 8:26.70.

200m individual medley: 1. Jayden Tan (Kul) 2:05.20, 2. Hii Puong Wei (Swk) 2:06.26, 3. Andrew Goh (Sel) 2:11.91.

200m butterfly: 1. Low Zheng Yong (Prk) 2:03.29, 2. Goh Li Jie (Sel) 2:04.05, 3. Malikil Alliim (Ina) 2:05.62.

4x100m medley: 1. Selangor 3:48.09, 2. Kuala Lumpur 3:55.92, 3. Sarawak 3:56.46.

Women

50m freestyle: 1. Chui Lai Kwan (Sab) 26.21, 2. Serenna Karmelita Muslim (Ina) 26.74, 3. Enkhkhuslen Batbayar (Mgl) 26.83.

1,500m freestyle: 1. Enkhkhuslen Batbayar (Mgl) 17:25.10, 2. Jehanara Nabi (Pak) 18:01.98, 3. Kelly Teo (Swk) 18:20.99.

200m individual medley: 1. Tan Rouxin (Joh) 2:21.23, 2. Enkhkhuslen Batbayar (Mgl) 2:22.12, 3. Hashika Ramachandra (Ind) 2:28.35.

200m butterfly: 1. Yue Lynn Mishya Khor (Sel) 2:21.91, 2. Khew Zi Xian (Sel) 2:24.42, 3. Yoong Jia Jia (Sel) 2:25.54.

4x100m medley: 1. Kuala Lumpur 4:24.01, 2. Selangor 4:32.71, 3. Sarawak 4:40.44.