KUALA LUMPUR: Teenager Andrew Goh killed two birds with one stone at the Malaysia Open Swimming Championships in Bukit Jalil today.
The 19-year-old set a new national record of 28.10s in the men’s 50m breaststroke to beat the old mark of 28.59s set by Wong Fu Kang in 2016.
More importantly, it saw the teenager book his ticket to the World Championships in Japan in July as he surpassed the Category B qualifying mark set by World Aquatics.
The Selangor swimmer, who will make his SEA Games debut in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in May, finished third behind Indonesian Felix Viktor Iberle (27.65s) and Namibia’s Ronan Zuberge Wantenaar (27.84s).
Andrew, who also won gold at the Southeast Asia Age Group Swimming Championships, admitted that he never expected to qualify for the world meet.
“Since I was a seven-year-old, I’ve always dreamt of qualifying for the world meet and the Olympics … now I’ve turned 19, it is like a dream come true. I’ve trained really hard … I guess it has paid off.
“It is not just luck, it’s all about determination. Right now, I can see myself improving,” he said.
Andrew has bagged five medals since the start of the championships on Friday – two bronzes in the men’s 50m and 200m breaststroke and three silvers in the 4x100m freestyle relay, the 4x100m individual medley and the 4x200m freestyle relay.
Meanwhile, national swimmers Khiew Hoe Yean and Hii Puong Wei clocked 57.12s and 58.79s respectively to clinch silver and bronze in the men’s 100m backstroke behind gold medallist Liang Yun Wu (56.44s) of Taiwan. - FMT
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