Hii celebrates with Dieung (left) and coach Jeffery Ho.
KUCHING (March 3): Sarawak Sukma swimmer Hii Puong Wei secured a bronze medal for Malaysia in the 200m breaststroke (aged 18 years and over) on the fourth day of the 11th Asian Age Group Championships at the Aquatics Centre of the New Clark City, the Philippines on Thursday.
He clocked 2:20.68sec to emerge as the lone medalist from Sarawak and contribute to Malaysia’s tally of one silver and six bronze medals in the meet.
Two-time Olympian Welson Sim Wee Sheng, who also competed in the same age category, did not fare well as the postponement of the championships (originally scheduled for Oct 2023) disrupted his training plan.
He is hoping to peak in the upcoming Malaysian Invitational Age Group Championships and Malaysia Open.
However, it was a good exposure for the third Sarawakian in the team Dylan Leong who improved on his personal best times, clocking 28.32s in the 50m backstroke and 2:15.51s in the 200m backstroke (aged 12 to 14).
The 11th Asian Age Group Championship provided a platform for Malaysia’s swimmers to shine, with athletes like Hii embodying the spirit of sportsmanship and excellence.
Sarawak State Sports Council (MSNS) Elite Swimming Programme coach Dieung Manggang, who accompanied the national team to the meet, encouraged more state swimmers to make a breakthrough by aiming for higher level competitions and representing Malaysia in regional and continental meets.