KUALA LUMPUR – Siblings Teo Zun Jet and Teo Sze Hui will become the first Malaysian aquathlon athletes to represent the country at the SEA Games in Cambodia after booking their berths at the NX113 aquathlon race today.
The NX113 was held for the first time at the Putrajaya Lake, and it also served as the qualifiers for the SEA Games, where aquathlon will be contested for the first time.
Zun Jet won the elite category of the race, where participants swam for 500m before transitioning to a 2.5km run.
A joint press release by the Malaysia Swimming Association, Perbadanan Putrajaya, and Hybrid Management Sdn Bhd reported that the 17-year-old, who is also a water polo player and a Kuala Lumpur state swimmer, blitzed the rest of the competition with a time of 16.12s.
“Being a water polo player meant I have developed strong leg muscles and that really helped me in my run. I could have been faster, but I am happy with my time,” said Zun Jet, who only started training for the run during the Movement Control Order.
His older sister Sze Hui also earned a ticket to Cambodia despite finishing fourth in the women’s category with a time of 19.16s.
While only the top two Malaysians will earn a ticket to the SEA Games, Sze Hui got hers as two other competitors above her – Renata Berliana and Ng Wen May – are Indonesian. The other is scheduled to compete at the triathlon event.
Sze Hui, who is also in the midst of sitting for her SPM examinations, admitted it required immense dedication to study and train.
“My daily routine revolves around training as early as 5am before school, and after that it will be juggling homework and more training.
“But it has been worth it. It was my dream to qualify for the SEA Games. I had initially wanted to compete in a triathlon at the last SEA Games, but I was not 18 yet. I have just turned 18 and I want to go all out,” she said.
Earlier in the day, the team relay (4x1.5km) event of the first SEA Open Water Swimming Championships 2023 (SEAOWSC) took place before the NX113.
Malaysia bagged a silver medal in the 14-16 age group category through Lim Kai Yi, Teoh Kai Ning, Lynna Yeow dan Hannes Wan, and a bronze in the same age-group through Aslan Adnan, Jamie Tan, Grace Yap, and Yap Rong Yi.
In total, the Malaysians won seven silver and four bronze medals in the 5km, 10km, and team relay categories of the SEAOWSC.
National coach Kevin Yeap was proud of his athletes’ achievements.
“They were all strong willed to complete the swim, despite it being the first time in open water swimming for some of them. I am proud of all of them,” he said. – The Vibes, February 4, 2023
