Sprinters smash multiple records at Aquatic Centre in Kuching

KUCHING (Oct 30): Over 570 swimmers from 24 clubs and teams from the Philippines, Indonesia, Brunei and Malaysia converged in Kuching for the 4th Sarawak Short Course Sprint swimming championships held at the Pandelela Rinong Aquatic Centre in Petra Jaya over the weekend.

Power Aquatics Swimming Club (PASC), which hosted the meet of sprint events, successfully defended the overall title.

The Kuching-based club, which fielded 92 swimmers, beat Swim Art Aquatic (SAA) and Kawaras into second and third places respectively. Aquanova Swimming Club and Gators Swimming Club rounded up the top five.

In addition to team awards, the meet presented Most Valuable Swimmer (MVS) awards in the various age groups. Among the outstanding individual performers were Lee Wei Wen of Sabah Sports School (Girls Open) who broke two records en route to six gold medals, SEA Games medalist Job Tan Xi Jay of Hornbill Swimmers (Boys Open) with one new record and 13 gold medals, brothers Darren Leong and Dylan (Boys A) of Speed Titans Swimming Club who erased three records and won four gold medals each, Amber Tan Hui Ning (Girls D) of Lifeskill Swim School who shattered  six records and picked up seven gold medals, Rachel Sim Qi Yun of Aquanova (Girls E) setting two records and taking home nine gold medals and Aksels Tan of Mabohai (Boys E) who won 14 events all in record times.

PASC swimmers who received MVS awards included Janice Tan Jing Xuan (Girls A) who won six golds, Chereen Ngo Yi Rui (Girls B) breaking 13 records en route to amassing 14 golds, Elisha Lee Ern (Girls C) who re-wrote four records and won 10 golds and Sheamus Chew Heng Yi (Boys C) who won 13 events and creating new records in 12 of them.

Cayden Mineve Chin of Kuching-based Swim Art Aquatic (SAA) set two new records and collected eight gold, three silver, and one bronze medals.

Guest of honour who officiated the meet was Senator Dato’ Ahmad Ibrahim accompanied by Ministry of Youth, Sports, and Entrepreneur Development permanent secretary Morshidi Fredrick, Sarawak Sports Corporation CEO Awang Putrayusrie Awang Redzuan, Youth and Sports Department Kuching Division officer Margaret Sawing and PASC president Kapitan Tan Kun Gee.