Gold Coast, here we come

Welson plans on bringing family to see him race

KUALA LUMPUR: Welson Sim (pic), who was named the Best Male Athlete for the 2017 Kuala Lumpur SEA Games, plans to use the reward he received from the government to bring his family to Gold Coast, Australia, to watch him swim at the Commonwealth Games next April.

The 20- year- old received RM33,000 for winning two gold medals in the 200m freestyle and 400m freestyle. Welson, who also got a bronze in the 4x200m freestyle relay, broke the SEA Games records for 200m freestyle and 400m freestyle.

Welson has also set his sights on doing well at the Asian Games in Jakarta next in August.

“I’ll keep the money as I plan to use it to take my family members to Australia to watch me compete in Gold Coast.

“They’ve never been to Australia and it’s not cheap to go there either.

“This is an honour for aquatics and I’m more motivated to train harder for next year’s challenges,” said the Sarawak-born Welson, who did not expect to be selected as the Best Male Athlete for the KL SEA Games.

While it will be tougher for him to get on the podium at the Commonwealth Games, Welson knows he has a good shot at becoming the first Malaysian swimmer in 16 years to stand on the Asian Games podium next year.

The 20-year-old has met the Asian Games third place qualifying mark of 3:50.38 from Incheon four years ago after clocking a new SEA Games record of 3:50.26 in the 400m freestyle.

Welson also set a new SEA Games record of 1:47.76 en route to dethroning defending champion Hoang Quy Phuoc of Vietnam in the 200m freestyle and it’s also inside the bronze medal time of 1:49.25 from the last Asian Games.

Backstroker Alex Lim Keng Liat was the last Malaysian to win a swimming medal at the Asiad or Commonwealth Games.

Keng Liat settled for silver after failing to retain his 100m backstroke title in Busan, South Korea, in 2002 and that was the last time Malaysia produced an Asian Games medallist in the pool.

Keng Liat also took silver in the 50m backstroke and bronze in the 100m backstroke at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester.

“My targets are the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games next year, where I hope to reach the finals,” said Welson.

“For the Commonwealth Games, I will continue to work on the 400m freestyle and 1,500m freestyle. I have no choice as I will lose the ‘feeling’ when I come back after my break, so I need to train and build up my endurance.

“The Asian Games come later in the year. So I will switch to the 200m and 400m freestyle.”

A swimming medal at the Asiad will be a big achievement as Welson will be up against world and Olympic champions.

He will be up against China’s Sun Yang, Japan’s Kosuke Hagino and South Korea’s Park Tae-hwan.

Sun Yang is the reigning world champion for the 200m freestyle and 400m freestyle. Sun Yang also won the 200m freestyle Olympic gold but suffered his only defeat at the last Asian Games to Hagino in the event.