Swimming

puakaganas

Swimming: Daniel and Yi Ting break national records
By LIM TEIK HUAT

SEREMBAN: Swimmers Daniel Bego and Siow Yi Ting grabbed the limelight with impressive national record-breaking efforts in yet another exciting day at the 50th Malaysian Open championships at the Paroi Aquatic Centre here yesterday.

Daniel demolished the field in the men抯 200m freestyle final to collect his third gold medal for Sarawak in 1:51.66, which was 0.02 faster than the time he set (1:51.58) in Japan one week ago to qualify for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

  

Splashing time: Daniel Bego won the 200m freestyle event in a new national record of 1:51.66.

The time also erased his own meet record of 1:54.17, which he set last year.

By dipping under the 1:52 barrier again, Daniel proved that he would be the swimmer to beat in the event in the Korat SEA Games in December. The SEA Games record is 1:52.47, set by Dulyarit Phuongthong of Thailand in 2001.

Yi Ting also made a big splash for the host state on the second day of competition.

The 22-year-old, who just returned home after finishing her second year of studies at the University of Wisconsin in the United States, set a new national record in the 50m breaststroke heats.

She clocked 34.39 to better the previous time of 34.47, set by Raja Azlina Izzah in the 2005 Sukma (Malaysia Games) in Alor Star.

In the final, Yi Ting went faster, clocking 33.65 to smash the three-year-old meet record of 34.29 held by Suen Ka Yi of Hong Kong.

Yi Ting later took her tally to three gold medals, winning the 200m individual medley in a new meet record of 2:21.93. The previous record was 2:23.67, set by Sia Wai Yen back in 1998. But the time was way off her one-year-old national record of 2:16.92.

揑 have not been training for some time because of my studies and it feels good to win all my events thus far in record times. I am looking forward to doing well in the SEA Games,

puakaganas

Swimming: Heartache for Cai Lin
By LIM TEIK HUAT


SEREMBAN: Swimmer Khoo Cai Lin (pic) was in tears after winning her first individual gold in the 50th Malaysian Open at the Paroi Aquatic Centre here yesterday.

It was not tears of joy for the 18-year-old even though she had beaten the 2008 Olympics qualifying mark for the women's 400m freestyle. Cai Lin found out soon after that she would not be given a ticket to Beijing because the Malaysian Open is not considered an Olympic qualifying meet this time.

Cai Lin clocked a personal best of 4:19.65 and it was inside the Olympics B qualifying mark of 4:20.05.

It was a big blow for Cai Lin because her efforts yesterday were all in vain.

揑 thought the Malaysian Open was an Olympic qualifier and I knew I has a chance to qualify if I go under the 4:20 mark. I clocked 4:21 in Japan last week and I was hopeful of doing better,

puakaganas

Doping body close case on retired Australian swimmered

SYDNEY: Australian doping authorities have cleared retired swimmer Ian Thorpe of any wrongdoing after completing their investigation into an irregular test result.

Thorpe was investigated by the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) after a random drug test taken before his retirement last year showed unusually high levels of naturally-occurring hormones.

ASADA chairman Richard Ings told a news conference in Melbourne yesterday that the investigations confirmed Thorpe had not committed an offence.

揟he evidence available does not indicate the use of performance enhancing substances by Mr Thorpe and that he has no case to answer,

puakaganas

Young Liew shines again
By LIM TEIK HUAT

  

Marellyn showing off the gold medals she won in the Malaysian Open.

SEREMBAN: Young Sabah swimmer Marellyn Liew indicated she is ready to handle the challenge in the coming Korat SEA Games in Thailand with another impressive performance in the 50th Malaysian Open championships at the Paroi Aquatic Centre here yesterday.

The 18-year-old, who trains under former international Lim Keng Liat, clocked an impressive 1:02.98 to win the women抯 100m butterfly. She also equalled Cindy Ong抯 national record. Perak-born Cindy had set the national record in the Sukma (Malaysia Games), which was held at the same venue in 2004.

United States-based swimmer Luisa Los Santos of Selangor took the silver with a time of 1:03.88 while Hii Siew Siew of Sarawak finished third on 1:04.30.

It was the second national record in as many days for Marellyn. On Friday, she bettered Cindy抯 2004 national mark (28.58) by winning the 50m butterfly in 28.02.

And Marellyn completed her splashing show in style by helping the Sabah relay team bag the 4x100m medley gold in a new meet record.

Marellyn swam the butterfly leg, and together with Chui Lai Kwan, Rachel Lim and Leung Chii Lin, finished in 4:30.29 to erase the previous record of 4:32.37 set by Hong Kong in 2004.

  

Perfect 10: Daniel Bego of Sarawak posing with the 10 gold medals he won in the Malaysian Open

Prior to the Malaysian Open, Marellyn did not have any national mark under her belt and she was naturally delighted with what she achieved here.

揑 was trying to aim for a national mark in the butterfly discipline.

揋etting two national records will spur me on to improve further, especially in the SEA Games.

揑 have been included in the SEA Games squad and I hope to improve on my personal best there and hopefully achieve something,

car閒actor_z閞o

Swimming: Asum aims to better Manila haul
WHILE Khoo Cai Lin抯 missing the Olympics on a technicality leaves Daniel Bego the only swimmer thus far confirmed on the flight to Beijing next August, the focus now shifts to a second best performance in the Sea Games this decade.
[table=200][/table]The Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia (ASUM) is pretty sure of bettering the four gold medal haul from Manila two years ago despite the uncertainty of Lim Keng Liat and Allen Ong coming out of retirement.

The Malaysian Open, which ended on Saturday, showed Siow Yi Ting could be good for at least two gold medals, while Daniel Bego could be in for a triple haul.

Yi Ting, who missed the previous two editions of the Sea Games due to studies, is back and looks like a sure bet for the 200m and 400m individual medleys and the 200m breaststroke.

Cai Lin, who missed the Olympics after beating the qualifying mark in the 400m freestyle on Friday due to the event being unsanctioned after a change in venue, could be the surprise package in Korat.
"Five will be our safe target. There could be more, but we won抰 count them just yet," said ASUM secretary Edwin Chong.

Keng Liat抯 return could inspire a relay quartet that will be formed for the first time since 2001, since a quality swimmer for the backstroke leg is yet to be found although Linvern Lim looks like the next best bet.

Keng Liat himself hasn抰 yet made up his mind, citing his weight gain since retirement last year and the need to be on top form should he make a return, as his main reasons.

Allen on top form will be a bonus for the medley relay quartet as he hasn抰 represented the country in six years following his retirement after the 2001 Sea Games where he bagged the 100m freestyle gold and joined Keng Liat, Anthony Ang and Elvin Chia in bagging the coveted 4x100m medley gold.

Surprisingly, 2001 was the last time Malaysia produced a relay quartet as the following years saw just two swimmers dominating the country抯 slots in international competition

puakaganas

Asum hoping for a five-star show at the SEA Games

SEREMBAN: The Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia (Asum) are targeting five gold medals from swimming in the Korat SEA Games, one better than in the previous series in Manila two years ago.

But if performances in the recent Japan international meet and the just concluded 50th Malaysian Open are of any indication, the target should be surpassed easily.

Daniel Bego will be the swimmer to beat in the butterfly and freestyle races, having posted the fastest times this year among the swimmers in the region.

In the meet in Chiba, the 17-year-old set national records in qualifying for the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the 200m freestyle (1:51.68) and 200m butterfly (1:59.40).

A week later at the Malaysian Open, he lowered the 200m freestyle record to 1:51.66 and finished the championships with seven individual gold medals.

In the SEA Games, Daniel is also the favourite to win the 100m butterfly. He is the only swimmer in the region thus far to clock a sub-55.

He set a national record of 54.40 in taking silver in the World Youth Championships in Brazil last year and clocked 54.84 in a meet in Japan.

And if he is in top form, Daniel is also in with a shot to win the 100m and 400m freestyle races.

While the hope is on Daniel to deliver in the absence of former top backstroker Lim Keng Liat this time, the return of Siow Yi Ting means Malaysia can look forward to at least two gold medals from her.

The Malaysian women did not win a gold medal in the Manila Games but Yi Ting should be able to regain her 200m breaststroke and individual medley titles from Singapore's Nicolette Teo.

Yi Ting, who missed the previous SEA Games in Manila because of her exams, showed that she has the speed by setting her first national record in the 50m breaststroke in Seremban last week and there is ample time for her to recover her form.

And there is hope too on the much improved Khoo Cai Lin to surprise in the women's longer distance races in the SEA Games.

Cai Lin clocked winning times of 4:19.65 and 8:57.33 to beat the SEA Games second-place qualifying marks in the 400m (4:23.76) and 800m (9:02.20) freestyle races in Seremban.

Cai Lin, who qualified for the SEA Games from the Singapore Open earlier, would have earned an early ticket for the Beijing Olympics if the Malaysian Open had been sanctioned in time as a qualifying meet.

Asum secretary Edwin Chong said that Cai Lin was certainly a gold medal contender in the Korat Games.

揟here are chances for her to pull it off and win her first SEA Games gold medal,

dexa

Swimming: Mellouli banned for drugs, stripped of world title

GENEVA: Sport抯 top court yesterday stripped Tunisian swimming champion Oussama Mellouli of the 800 metres freestyle world championship gold medal he won in March because of a doping offence.

The Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said it had partially upheld an appeal by the International Swimming Federation (FINA) against an allegedly lenient ruling by Tunisia抯 national swimming association, after Mellouli tested positive for amphetamines in November 2006.

Tunisia抯 swimming federation (FTN) ruled in March 2007 that Mellouli had not taken the drug to knowingly enhance his swimming performance during a swimming event in Indianapolis in the United States.

It sanctioned him with a reprimand and a warning.

Mellouli claimed the positive result was due to him taking an "Adderall" pill two days earlier so he could stay awake to finish writing a university paper.

FINA appealed to CAS against the Tunisian decision, seeking a full two-year suspension which would have ruled Mellouli out of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. 梉/font]

puakaganas

Tunisia抯 Mellouli loses world title after suspension

LONDON: Tunisia抯 Oussama Mellouli has been stripped of the world title he won this year after being banned for a positive dope test by sport抯 top court, swimming抯 world governing body FINA said on Tuesday.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne has annulled all Mellouli抯 results and suspended him for 18 months, dating back to Nov 30 last year when the offence was committed.

ReuK

org malaysia ni ramai terer berenang yer?

ada latihan rahsia ker?


berenang sepanjang sg sarawak sambil dikejar oleh bujang senang?

kupay

jojoba..aku perlukan pertolongan ko...check ur pm,k...pls....

puakaganas

Swimming: Coach Urquhart returning to Australia after SEA Games
By LIM TEIK HUAT

PETALING JAYA: Australian coach Gavin Urquhart is leaving the Malaysian swimming team after the SEA Games in Thailand in December.

Urquhart, in a surprise move, informed the Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia (Asum) and National Sports Council (NSC) of his intention to quit recently. His two-year contract expires after the 2008 Beijing Olympics but either party can terminate it.

  

Urquhart: Wants to settle down with his fiancee.

Urquhart said that he wanted to return home to settle down with his fiancee, Coleen Taylor.  

揝he got a good job back in Australia and it is a good time I start thinking about settling down. I want to leave on good terms and it is only appropriate that I clear my responsibilities first,

jojoba_beads

ako dah balas...

cek ler...

tak de masalah.. small matter je tu..

huhu

puakaganas

Examinations hamper SEA Games preparations

PETALING JAYA: Year-end examinations have thrown a spanner in the works of the aquatics team preparing for the Korat SEA Games.

Swimmers Daniel Bego, Melvin Chua, Eric Chang and diver Bryan Nickson are directly affected and the coaches will have to re-schedule the training programmes to accommodate them.

But the question remains whether Daniel and Bryan, who are strong gold medal prospects in the Games and have already qualified for the Beijing Olympics next year, will be able bring out their best form in Korat. The Games begin on Dec 6.

Daniel and Melvin are currently preparing for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examinations scheduled to start in late November and will end one week before the Games.

Eric, who is currently the top backstroker after the retirement of Lim Keng Liat, has requested for a month's off to prepare for the Penilaian Menengah Rendah (PMR) examinations.

And coach Gavin Urquhart said that it was a difficult time for the swimmers, who have to juggle between studies and prepare well for a big sporting event.

揟here was a request made to the Bukit Jalil Sports School for swimmers preparing for school exams to attend classes later,

puakaganas

NSC hire top Chinese coach Lan Wei on two-year deal

PETALING JAYA: Chinese coach Lan Wei is the latest addition to the Malaysian diving team.

The coach, who guided Li Ting and Lao Lishi to the 10m synchronised platform gold medal in the 2004 Athens Olympics, has signed a two-year contract with the National Sports Council (NSC).

And he will be the third Chinese coach employed to handle the elite divers in the national squad after Huang Qiang and Li Lijie.  

The Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia (Asum) secretary, Edwin Chong, confirmed yesterday the appointment of Lan Wei and he said that they were making plans to bring him in to prepare the diver for the SEA Games in Thailand in December.

揥e have been looking for a coach to replace Zhu Shanming, who left to take up an offer in Australia. Lan Wei will be handling the springboard divers,

puakaganas

Asum hope Karmen, Siew Siew will make waves in pool
By LIM TEIK HUAT

KUALA LUMPUR: Thirteen-year-olds Cheng Karmen and Hii Siew Siew are set to break new grounds for Malaysian swimming in the SEA Games in Korat in December.

Karmen and Siew Siew are the youngest swimmers to make the team for the Games scheduled for Dec 6-15.

The 23-member swimming team include Beijing Olympic-bound Daniel Bego, Siow Yi Ting, Khoo Cai Lin and Marellyn Liew.

But as for how the future shapes up for Malaysian in swimming, the best indicators should come from Karmen and Siew Siew.

Karmen trains in Ipoh while Siew Siew is based in Sibu. And both of them dominated the Group 3 (11-12) age-group competitions early this year.

At the SEA Games, Karmen is down to compete in the 100m and 200m backstroke events while Siew Siew is likely to feature in the 200m butterfly.

Karmen was impressive for Malaysia with a six-gold performance in the South-East Asian championships in Singapore in July. She also broke two of the oldest meet records.

Siew Siew won three gold medals in the same championships and in the Malaysian Open in Seremban early last month, she upstaged the older Cai Lin to win the 200m butterfly.

In SEA Games records, the youngest-ever Malaysian swimmer to feature in the series was Sia Wai Yen, who was 14 when she competed in Jakarta in 1997. She failed to win any medal in her debut but went on to claim silver medals in Brunei two years later and took gold in Kuala Lumpur in 2001.

And this is what the Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia (Asum) secretary Edwin Chong said they had in mind when they opted to include Karmen and Siew Siew in the team for the Korat Games.

揂s far as I can recall, they will be the two youngest swimmers selected by Malaysia to compete in the SEA Games,

puakaganas

Managerial role for May
By LIM TEIK HUAT

  

May: A big challenge

PETALING JAYA: May Tan was known as the country's butterfly queen during her heyday as a national swimmer. And she will be taking flight again in her new capacity as the manager of the team for the SEA Games.

The 36-year-old May is glad that she has been given the responsibility to take charge of the 23-member swimming squad.

揑t's a big challenge to handle one of the biggest squads ever for the SEA Games in years. I am happy that I get to contribute my services to the country again and I hope I will manage the team well,

puakaganas

Hackett targets open-water race in Olympics

  
SYDNEY: Australian swimmer Grant Hackett (pic) will compete in an open-water 10km race in Melbourne this weekend after setting his sights on taking part in the inaugural event at next year抯 Olympics.

Hackett, who is aiming to become the first man to win 1,500m freestyle gold at three successive Olympics, wants to add the longer swim to a programme which also includes the 400m individual and 4x200m freestyle relay.

Hackett will swim the 10km at the Victorian Championships this weekend in the lead-up to the Australian Championships in Sydney in December.

He must finish first or second in the Sydney event to qualify for next year抯 FINA World Open Water Championships, where the top 10 racers will earn the right to race in Beijing.

This weekend will be a chance to gain experience in the unfamiliar surroundings and test his tactics and pacing, he said.

揑 need to do one of these 10km events before the Australian Championships and I am really excited to race on Sunday, really looking forward to the experience actually,

puakaganas

Chinese breaks world record

NEW DELHI: China's Li Yang has bettered the women's 50 metres backstroke record at the World Military Games which concluded in India yesterday, the organisers said.

Li clocked 28:09 seconds to win the final on Friday, going under the existing mark of 28.16, according to the Games website.  

揟his can also be a world record subject to the approval of FINA (International Swimming Federation) as it improves the original world record which is 28:16 seconds,

puakaganas

Name the drug cheats, Graham told

BRISBANE: Former swimmer Elka Graham is tarnishing innocent athletes by refusing to disclose more about drug allegations she made in a newspaper column, Australian swimming chief Glenn Tasker said yesterday.

The dual Olympian claimed in a Sunday column that she was offered performance-enhancing drugs by another elite swimmer while training for the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Tasker said that Graham had a responsibility to former team-mates and training partners, both in Australia and the United States.

揕iterally anybody who swam with Elka in the years leading up to Athens, she抯 cast doubt out there about who is it,

puakaganas

Schoeman shines with three golds and a silver

SINGAPORE: South African star Roland Schoeman grabbed three gold medals and a silver to set the standard on the opening day of the FINA World Cup here on Saturday.

The Arizona-based Schoeman started off with a bang, winning the 100m freestyle in the season's best time of 47.34 and followed up with gold in the 50m breaststroke (27.45).  

His third gold came in the 100m individual medley before he narrowly lost to Russia's Nikolay Skvortsov in the evening's final event, the 50m butterfly.

South Africa ended day one with five gold medals, sharing the lead with Australia. Sweden, Russia and the US all have two gold medals.  

Japan was the only other nation to win gold, with Yurie Yano grabbing the women's 800m freestyle.

Multiple Olympic gold medallist and world record holder Natalie Coughlin did not disappoint her fans, winning the 100m butterfly in the world's fastest time this year.  

The American's time of 56.35 was only 1/100th off her personal best of 56.34.

Coughlin came second in the 50m freestyle which was won by Sweden's Therese Alshammar (24.02). Randall Bal also set the season's best time of 50.91 in the men's 100m backstroke