CROCS AND RAYS NO PROBLEM FOR UNSUNG SWIMMINNG HEROES

Jakarta: The plucky swimmers of far- flung nations who train in the sea where stingrays and crocodiles lurk are ready to strike a blow for the sport’s minnows at the Asian Games.

As Olympic champions such as China’s Sun Yang and Japan’s Kosuke Hagino soak up the limelight, simply getting to Jakarta has been a remarkable achievement for the fresh- faced hopefuls from the Maldives and East Timor.

Better known for its sun- kissed blue lagoons, the Maldives is no island paradise for its competitive swimmers, who regularly suffer jellyfish stings in the murky waters off the capital Male.

“We see jellyfish and stingrays mostly and sometimes eels so I get pretty scared,” 14- year- old Hulva Khulail said.

“I’ve been stung so many times,” added the pint- sized schoolgirl, who takes the plunge in the 50, 100 and 200 metres breaststroke in Jakarta.

“It itches so much you have to stop and pour vinegar on it. And also the sea is very polluted.”

Such is the parlous state of swimming in the Maldives there is no proper pool available.

Khulail and team mate Haish Hassan instead use the Indian Ocean, sharing a 25- metre area marked out by floating blocks with fish and other creatures — often at night.

“It’s hard for us to swim in a pool because the water is very dense,” explained science buff Hassan.