Going for the sweep
Synchronised swimming team target all five golds at KL Games
PETALING JAYA: Let’s go for a high five again.
This is what the national synchronised swimming team will strive for as they aim to regain their stranglehold at the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games next year.
At the 2011 Indonesian Games, Malaysia, led by Shareen Png and Katrina Ann Hadi, tore their rivals apart to make a clean sweep of all the five gold medals.
The sport was not contested in Myanmar in 2013 but returned to the programme in Singapore last year. The island hosts emerged as a new force by claiming two out of the three golds at stake. But Malaysia are ready to restore order. Shareen, who retired in 2012 and now an assistant to head coach Long Yan, believes Malaysia can repeat the remarkable feat achieved five years ago.
The five events contested in next year’s Games are solo technical and free, duet technical and free and team free.
Malaysia can certainly count on the formidable Zylane Lee Yhing Huey and Gan Hua Wei to deliver in both the solo and duet events. Malaysia’s biggest problem is winning the team event.
“Defending champions Singapore will start as the favourites in the team event again.
“Although they have roped in some new faces after the Singapore Games, they remain a very strong and experienced side.
“But we’re not too far behind either. There’s some catch-up to do,” said Shareen.
“We still have seven months to prepare the team. We certainly need to double our efforts. I have faith in our girls. They will come good by then.”
In Singapore, Malaysia won the duet gold through Katrina and Zylane. But Malaysia’s relatively inexperienced side were beaten by Singapore to the team free and team free combination titles.
Katrina had since called it quits but Hua Wei proved to be a worthy replacement.
The 16-year-old Hua Wei combined well with Zylane to win the bronze in their first outing together at the China Open in April.
The duo also finished a creditable fourth and fifth in the free duet and technical duet at the Asian Swimming Championships in Tokyo last month.
Besides Zylane and Hua Wei, the others retained from the Singapore Games are Foong Yan Nie, Gan Zhen Yu, Lee Yiat Lum and Lee Yiat Xin.
The six new faces are Wong Mei Teng, Liyana Nadirah Mohd Fairuz, Mandy Lim, Ong Ee Theng, Chai Jia Yue and Leong Jie Wen.