Fadhil Yunus
The Sultanate ushered a new generation of swimming talents after new national records were established in various meets both in the domestic and overseas scenes recently.
The country’s leading female swimmer Hayley Wong sets a new national and age group record for 14-15 years’ old girls at the 19th FINA World Championships in Budapest, Hungary last month.
Hayley broke a national record in the 200m butterfly event which was previously held by Maria Grace Koh after clocking a time of 2:35.48s in the 200m butterfly event.
She succeeded her predecessor who clocked a time of 2:39.86s, ending a record which stood for 14 years since June 21, 2008.
Meanwhile, Brunei’s young talent Zeke Chan broke Anderson Lim’s 10-year-old national record in the 200m freestyle event after posting a time of 2:00.46s.
He lowered Anderson’s previous time of 2:02.26s which was previously set at the Olympic Games in London in 2012.
With the achievement, Zeke subsequently sets a new age group record for 14-15 years’ old boys.
Zeke also rewrote the age group record in the 100m backstroke event after clocking a time of 1:01.11s at the 17th Singapore National Swimming Championships last month.
He bettered his own national record of 1:01.17s which he sets earlier that month at the 29th Brunei Age Group (BAG) Swimming Championships.
Meanwhile, the Brunei Amateur Swimming Association (BASA) will be holding a Brunei swimming talent search for the Junior Swimming Development programme at the Swimming Pool of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Sports Complex today.
Entry requirements include the ability to master two to three swimming strokes for children under the age of 10 and four swimming strokes for children under the age of 12.
