Hoe Yean keeps up good show in France, Eliza sets new national mark in Singapore

Staying consistent: Khiew Hoe Yean set a season best time to place third in the 400m freestyle in the second leg of the Mare Nostrum Tour in Canet, France.

PETALING JAYA: Khiew Hoe Yean continues to deliver the goods while a youngster emerges with a new national record in what has been a good week in the pool for Malaysian swimming.

Hoe Yean, the double SEA Games gold medallist, set a season best time to win bronze in the 400m freestyle final in the second leg of the Mare Nostrum Tour in Canet, France, on Friday.

Eliza Tan, who is studying in Virginia Tech University, closed off a good week for Malaysian swimming by breaking the national record in the women’s 100m freestyle event at the Singapore National Championships yesterday.

Freestyle specialist Hoe Yean made a late surge in the last 100m to overtake French swimmer Logan Fontaine to touch the wall at 3:52.61s behind Italy’s Marco De Tullio (3:48.99s) and winner Sweden’s Victor Johansson (3:46.77s).

It was Hoe Yean’s fastest time recorded this season, bettering his 3:55.75s set at the Malaysia International Age Group meet in February.

It may be short of his national record of 3:47.38s set last year at the World University Games in Berlin, Germany, but it is worth noting that Hoe Yean has not tapered yet.

The Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games should be the Kuala Lumpur-born swimmer’s main targets, so his latest effort will give him assurance that his preparations are on the right track.

The national team finished a training camp in Barcelona before competing in Canet.

They skipped the first leg in Monaco last week.

Meanwhile, the 19-year-old Eliza, who is in the Lion City to compete with the Selangor swim team, clocked 57.35s to win bronze in the event behind Singapore’s multiple SEA Games champion Gan Ching Hwee, who won gold (55.82s) and silver medalist Yeo Chiok Sze (56.19s), also from the host country.

Eliza’s time erased the national record of 57.56s set by Sabah’s Loo Yie Bing that has lasted four years.

Eliza earlier indicated her intention by qualifying for the A final in 57.61s in the preliminary round.

She has now emerged as a favourite to win the short sprint events for hosts Selangor at the upcoming Malaysia Games (Sukma).