Khiew Hoe Yean

Motivated by a love for swimming and excellence, the Malaysian swimmer reveals his struggles, goals and his plans for the future

From Taekwondo to swimming, Khiew Hoe Yean has found his calling in the water. The young Malaysian sensation from Kuala Lumpur has been making a splash in the swimming world with his impressive performances. Khiew started swimming at the age of seven and has competed in international events at age 12, eventually joining the Malaysian national team at just 17 years old. He is now one of the rising stars of Malaysian swimming.

The 21-year-old has achieved many feats, including winning seven gold medals at the 2019 Asean Schools Games in Indonesia. He also made history by clinching Malaysia’s first swimming gold medal at the 2021 Southeast Asian Games (SEA) Games in Vietnam in the 200m freestyle event and retaining his title in early 2023.

In his own words, Khiew shares his journey with us and reveals how he overcomes his challenges and stays mentally focused for every competition.

As an athlete, I face much pressure and anxiety during competitions.

I often feel nervous and stressed before each major event, especially when I have high personal and external expectations. I train at least ten times a week with my current coach Chris Martin and dedicate two to three hours per session to hone my skills.

I tend to worry a lot, especially before a big competition.

To calm myself down, I read a book or listen to music that distracts me from negative thoughts and helps me focus on my performance.

My strategy is to keep an eye on the strongest competitor in the pool and match their performance.

I will stay close to them and try to overtake them in the final lap. But I won’t let them dictate my pace. I want to swim at my own speed and make them adapt to me. That’s how I plan to win.

The 2022 SEA Games is the most memorable competition I’ve ever attended.

I recall it was quite a big challenge for me, as I had to swim two events in one day but I only won silver in those events. On the fifth day of the competition, I was determined to do my best and beat the rest in the 200m freestyle event.

I kept a positive mindset and told myself I had to win this event and take home the gold.

I’m currently studying for my bachelor’s in computer science.

I’m still in the early stages of my degree but I expect I will take longer to finish my course due to my training and schedule as a swimmer. I don’t mind taking it slow because I only need to focus on studying and training for competitions.

In life, you will always face pressure.

It comes down to how you handle it. I think I’ve found a good balance between studying and training. That being said, there is a bigger emphasis on training this year as I need to prepare for all the big competitions coming up, especially the 2024 Paris Olympics.