Coach hails Hoe Yean for bettering 400m freestyle record at World Cup

Great outing: Khiew Hoe Yean is expected to do better at the Short Course World C’ships in Budapest next month.

PETALING JAYA: Swimmer Khiew Hoe Yean made a big splash at the OCBC Aquatics Arena in Singapore by breaking the short course national record for the men’s 400m freestyle at the Swimming World Cup.

He posted a blistering 3:42.37s to finish sixth in the final yesterday, thus erasing Welson Sim’s mark of 3:43.90s set at the Australian Championships in 2019.

It is the second short course national record for Hoe Yean in the World Cup series but what’s significant is that the Paris Olympian has made the A cut for the Short Course World Championships in Budapest, Hungary in December. He made the B cut earlier.

The A cut for the world short course meet is 3:42.50s. Short course meets takes place on a 25m pool.

Hoe Yean rewrote Tern Jian Han’s seven-year-old record of 2:02.332s in the 200m backstroke by posting 1:56.89s in the Shanghai leg two weeks ago.

The national swimmers skipped the Incheon, South Korea leg last week.

Hoe Yean was the only Malaysian swimmer to qualify for the final in Singapore so far. He clocked 3:45.73s to qualify eighth fastest for the final.

National coach Eric Anderson described Hoe Yean’s performance as a huge rebound after the Paris Olympics in August where the 22-year-old could only register 3:51.66s in the long course format.

“This was a big swim from Hoe Yean. I’m really proud of the work he has been doing since returning home. He is on track to be even quicker in Budapest,” said Anderson.

Former SEA Games gold medallist Chui Lai Kwan showed she is still quick at the age of 34 after breaking her own national record in the 50m freestyle.

The Sabah-born swimmer clocked 25.58s to place 15th in the women’s 50m freestyle, improving on her previous national record of 25.64s.

Hii Puong Wei broke his own national record of 2:00.27s in the men’s 200m medley after clocking 1:59.60s to place 11th.

Lim Yin Chuen set the fourth national record in clocking 48.93s to finish 19th in the men’s 100m freestyle, wiping off the previous mark of 49.02s held by Terence Ng.