Malaysian swimmer Khiew Hoe Yean wins his third gold, defending the 200m freestyle, while Phee Jinq En takes silver in her final individual race.
NATIONAL swimmer Khiew Hoe Yean rode the waves of pressure to turn nerves into gold as he defended his men’s 200 metres freestyle title, completing a hat-trick of victories at the SEA Games Thailand 2025, here, today.
The 23-year-old touched the wall in 1 minute 48.64 seconds (s), narrowly holding off his closest rival, Vietnam’s Tran Van Nguyen Quoc (1:48.70s), who had to settle for silver at the Swimming Pool, Sports Authority of Thailand.
Another national swimmer, Arvin Shaun Singh Chahal claimed bronze in 1:50.43s to secure his first individual SEA Games medal.
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Hoe Yean, who started in lane four, admitted it was a tough race, with the Vietnamese opponent in lane eight showing significant improvement and proving to be a strong competitor.
For him, the key to success was channeling nervous energy into excitement, letting it fuel each stroke all the way to the finish line.
“Defending a title is the hardest thing in the sport because it gives you pressure and nerves.
“I felt pretty nervous today, and at the same time excited too. Turning nervousness into excitement was the motivation today,” he told reporters.
Meanwhile, Arvin Shaun, competing in his fourth SEA Games since the 2019 edition, credited his strong finish in the last 50 metres to his faith and hard work.
He is also already looking forward to the SEA Games 2027 back at home, hoping to challenge himself further and improve his performance.
In the meantime, it was a nice hurrah for national swimmer Phee Jinq En, who managed to secure silver in the women’s 100m breaststroke with 1:10.09s, in her last ever individual race before calling a day in swimming.
Reflecting on her 10-year career representing Malaysia at the Games, Jinq En said the medal is one she will cherish forever.
The four-time SEA Games gold medallist confirmed she will retire after the biennial Games, with one final relay, women’s 4x100m medley remaining, this Monday.
In the meantime, Letitia Sim of Singapore broke her own SEA Games record, 1:07.94s in 2023 edition, with a new timing of 1:06.79s, en route to retain her gold while Nguyen Thuy Hien from Vietnam took home bronze in 1:10.40s. – Bernama
