Khiew Hoe Yean Sets Malaysian Record, Wins 8 Golds at Malaysian Open
Malaysian international Khiew Hoe Yean lowered his Malaysian record in the men’s 200 individual medley this weekend at the Malaysian Open.
Hoe Yean went 2:03.29 on Sunday, the final day of four at the Milo/Mas Malaysia Open at the National Aquatic Center in Kuala Lumpur. It lowered his national record of 2:03.77 from the 2023 edition of this meet. His time is .07 off the consideration time for the 2025 World Aquatics Championships in Singapore.
Hoe Yean had a busy weekend, swimming for Kuala Lumpur Aquatics. He won the 100 freestyle on the opening day in 50.00 seconds, then the 100 backstroke in 56.41. He added a win in the 200 free in 1:48.46 on the second day, then pulled a double on Saturday by claiming the 400 free in 3:52.55 and the 200 back in 2:04.21. The time in the 100 free is a Worlds consideration cut, as is his 200 free and 400 free. He swam the 400 free at the Paris Olympics, Malaysia’s lone male swimmer there.
The meet included no A cuts, but a smattering of B cuts and a handful of national records from a selection of swimmers from Southeast Asia and Africa. Muhammad Dhuha Bin Zulfikry joined Hoe Yean with a B cut in the 400 free, finishing second in 3:55.96. The men’s 50 breaststroke also produced two B cuts, with Felix Viktor Iberle winning in 27.52, with Tsui Yik Ki second in 27.96. Tsui went 27.76 in prelims to trim .23 seconds off his Hong Kong record.
Jayden Tan of Singapore cut .05 seconds under the B time of the 400 IM with his 4:26.44. Surasit Thongdeang of Thailand won the 200 fly in 2:00.52, a B cut by less than a tenth, as was the 2:17.45 that Wui Kiu Man used to win the women’s 200 IM.
Bangladeshi swimmer Samiul Islam Rafi also had a big weekend. The 27-year-old won the 50 back in 26.83, improving on his national record of 27.20. It’s one of four national marks for him at the meet. He went 58.48 in the 100 back to chip a half-second off his record from Worlds in 2024, then his 26.01 in the 50 fly was a .05-second improvement. He also went 2:12.12 in the 200 IM, 1.5 seconds faster than Mohamed Juwel Ahmed’s national mark from 2017.
Singapore’s Nicholle Toh was the big winner on the women’s side, claiming the 100 free, 50 fly, 200 free and 100 fly. Teenager Adelia Aulia of Indonesia won three events.
Indian breaststroker Likith Prema won the men’s 100 breast on Saturday. Indonesian Olympian Joe Kurniawan won the 100 fly. Also among the competitors at the meet were Paris Olympians Hassane Hadji (Comoros), Pedro Rogery (Guinea-Bissau), Kestra Kihleng (Micronesia), Olamide Sam (Sierra Leone) and Jolanio Guterres (Timor-Leste).
