KUALA LUMPUR: Teenager Loo Yie Bing (pix) is still hopeful of competing in the Cambodia SEA Games in May despite only finishing with a bronze medal in the women’s 100-metre (m) freestyle event at the 65th Malaysia Open Swimming Championships at the National Aquatic Centre in Bukit Jalil today.
The 15-year-old, representing Sabah Aquatic Sports Association, had to be contented with third placing after clocking 59.08 seconds (s) to finish behind gold medallist Elisbet Gamez Matos (55.40s) of Cuba and silver medallist Huang Mei Chien (56.63s) of Taiwan.
Yie Bing, the Malaysia Games (Sukma) gold medallist, blamed the lack of full-time training and the limited number of competitions as the main factors for her weak performance and failure to break her own national record.
“I am very disappointed and am actually lacking in confidence because I knew my timing would be poor. Perhaps, it’s also because the last time I took part in a competition was last December.
“Yes (my name is on the long list for the SEA Games), but I feel like I have yet to make the grade now. So, I do not know the outcome but, should I qualify, it will be my first time,” the Sabahan told Bernama, here, today.
Yie Bing, who holds the women’s national 100m freestyle record of 57.56s set at the National Age Group Championships last June, still has four more events to go in the Malaysia Open – 50m butterfly, 200m freestyle, 50m breaststroke and 50m freestyle. – Bernama
