MSNS elite trainees make national waves
KUCHING: The Sarawak State Sports Council’s ( MSNS) Swimming Elite Training Prog ramme i s produci ng encouragingresultswith some ofits trainees making waves at national swimming competitions.
One of the trainees who have made vast improvements after training under the MSNS Elite head coach Dieung Manggang and his assistant Raymond Chang is rising star Hii Puong Wei.
The 15- year old Sukma XIX shadow team swimmer has indeed benefited greatly from the sports science including nutrition and gym workouts applied in the training programmes that he has bettered most of his personal best times in both local and national meets.
Puong Wei, who studies at SMK Batu Lintang, bagged the most gold medals at the 54th Milo/ PRAM Malaysian Invitational Age Group Championship at the National Aquatic Centre in Kuala Lumpur from March 15 to 18.
He won six out of the 11 gold medals Sarawak collected in the national closed and open categories at the four- day meet participated by teams from other states and other countries.
Puong Wei’s gold medals came from the Boys 13-14 100m freestyle, 200m breaststroke, 200m individual medley, 100m backstroke, 400m individual medley and 200m backstroke.
He also won silver in the Boys 1314 100m butterfly, 50m backstroke, 100m breaststroke, 50m freestyle and 200m freestyle.
Sarawak’s other golds were delivered by national swimmers Welson Sim Wee Sheng in the Boys Open 100m freestyle, 200m freestyle and 400m freestyle, and Angela Chieng Chui Fei in the Girls Open 400m freestyle while Kilian Ung Shihuang finished first in the Boys 15-17 50m breaststroke.
The state team also bagged silver medals through Angela Chieng ( Girls Open 200m freestyle), Kristen Chong (Girls 11-12 100m breaststroke), Leong Wan Ying ( Girls Open 100m backstroke), Job Tan Xi Jay ( Boys 15-17 50m butterfly, 100m breaststroke, 200m freestyle), Leong Wan Mei (Girls 15-17 100m freestyle) and Girls 1517 4x100m freestyle relay by Leong Wan Mei, Angel Lau, Rachel Chang and Nee Qiao Yuan.
Meanwhi l e , the b ron z e medallists were Kristen Chong ( Girls 11-12 100m breaststroke, 200m breaststroke), Hii Puong Jie ( Boys 13-14 400m individual medley), Leong Wan Mei ( Girls 15-17 50m breaststroke), Leong Wan Ying ( Girls Open 100m backstroke, Emily Wong(Girls U10 100m freestyle) Job Tan (Boys 15-17 50m butterfly and the Boys Open 4x100m freestyle relay through Welson Sim, Ngu Jiung Wei, Chang Jia En and Patrick Lau.
Puong Wei also stole the limelight in the Majlis Sukan Sekolah Malaysia ( MSSM) swimming championship at the Hang Jebat Stadium in Melaka last Saturday when he splashed to six out of the seven gold medals that Sarawak won in the meet while the other gold was won by another Sukma shadow team swimmer Leong Wan Mei.
He also broke the 200m record of 2:14.73 set by Sebastian Soon in 2016 by clocking a new time of 2:12.90.
For his exploits in the meet, Puong Wei was adjudged the best boy performer in his category.
Other swimmers who also contributed to the state team’s medal haul of 10 gold, 10 silver and 20 bronze medals in swimming and diving to f inish behind Selangor ( 27- 25-19) and Kuala Lumpur ( 24-28-21) were Job Tan and Zachary Tan who are also in the MSNS Elite Swimming Programme.