BANGKOK: National swimmer Khiew Hoe Yean rode the waves of pressure to turn nerves into gold as he defended his men’s 200m freestyle title, completing a hattrick of SEA Games victories.
The 23-year-old touched the wall in 1:48.64s, narrowly holding off his closest rival, Vietnam’s Tran Van Nguyen Quoc (1:48.70s), while fellow national swimmer Arvin Shaun Singh Chahal secured his first individual SEA Games medal by taking the bronze in 1:50.43s.
Hoe Yean, who started in lane four, admitted it was a tough race, with the Vietnamese opponent in lane eight showing significant improvement and proving to be a strong competitor. The key to success was channelling nervous energy into excitement, letting it fuel each stroke all the way to the finish line, he said.