KUALA LUMPUR – The national finswimming squad are optimistic about bringing home medals at the upcoming Cambodia SEA Games, as they have invested almost RM50,000 in gears and equipment.
Making their second appearance at the games after returning empty-handed at the last edition in Vietnam, Malaysian Finswimming Association president S. Ravivarma is confident there will be better results in Phnom Penh from May 5 to 17.
“We hope to be able to set better times with the new equipment that we are getting. We should be able to set better times with better quality gear.
“Based on the statistics we have from the last SEA Games in Hanoi, our athletes are now within the top three spots.
“We are very close to the gold medal times; it is just a matter of shaving off a few seconds.
“Finswimming is all about timing, and based on the data we have, we are among the medal prospects.
“We just aren’t sure what colour the medal will be,” he said at a press conference at the National Sports Council (NSC) today.
Ravivarma said the new gear is expected to arrive within a couple of weeks, adding that the equipment is costly, as it is custom-made for the eight athletes heading to compete in Cambodia.
“One monofin could cost up to RM3000, while a suit that is approved by the World Underwater Federation can be over RM1,000.
“We already ordered the equipment in February, and it usually takes about two months to complete.
“Finswimming is still relatively a new sport, and you can’t just walk down to any store and get the gear needed,” he said.
Meanwhile, the national diving team are aiming to bring home three gold, three silver, and two bronze medals from Cambodia.
Among the prospects is 2021 SEA Games gold medallist Muhammad Syafiq Puteh, who will be looking to defend his 3m springboard title.
With the games just a month away, the 27-year-old said he will be using this time to tweak mistakes made during the recent Malaysia Invitational Age Group Championship that ended on April 3.
At the same time, national swimming coach Chris Martin kept the squad’s medal targets until wraps.
Only winning one gold medal last year in Hanoi through Khiew Hoe Yean in the men’s 200m freestyle, Martin said the squad does indeed have a target, but it would be unwise to reveal the exact number so soon.
“No one can say that we are surely going to win an event; that’s a fool’s errand. We do have a strategy and will be focusing on some events,” he said.
For table tennis, the national team will be looking to improve on their one silver and three bronze medal finish last year.
Team coach and former national player Beh Lee Wei said their target is to maintain the silver medal, but nothing is stopping them from going for gold.
“The team has been training with overseas players from Korea, Taiwan, and will soon take on Japanese players in sparring matches.
“Playing with other players will get our athletes the training needed to improve their adaptability during the match,” she said.
Wong Qi Shen, who contributed to the silver medal last year in the men’s team event, hopes things will improve for him in Cambodia.
“I set the gold medal target for myself as motivation. We got silver in the team event last year, so we will fight for the gold now.
“In the doubles, we got bronze, so this time we will aim for silver,” he said.
Malaysia came sixth in the medal tally during the games in Vietnam last year with 39 gold, 45 silver, and 90 bronze medals. – The Vibes, April 6, 2023
