DESPITE the below-par performance shown by the Malaysia contingent at the concluded 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia recently, Penang finswimming athletes still have something to be proud of when one of their own managed to win a medal for the team.
Chris Chew Vi Min, 19, despite being fairly new to the game, manage to win a bronze medal in the 50m men’s bi fins in the finswimming event.
He was also the only finswimming athlete in the Malaysia contingent who managed to get a medal in the SEA Games finswimming aquatic sport this year.
Chew said he was really happy and excited about winning a medal for the finswimming team.
“It’s like a dream come true for me. Since I was selected for the SEA Games squad, I knew there would be a chance for me to win a medal although it was my first SEA Games participation.
“I was nervous before my race but excited at the same time as I knew I am well prepared for it. And I am glad I got a bronze medal in the 50m bi-fins event.
“Overall, I was quite satisfied with some of the results from my races. I participated in a few finswimming events such as 50m surface, 100m bi fins, 200m bi fins, 4×100 surface relay, 4x50m surface mixed relay, and 4x100m bi fins mixed relay.
“I know there is much work to be done to improve my performance. I hope that this medal will be the first of many. I feel like I have more to give as I am still quite new to the sport and I am still improving every day,” he said.
Chew expressed his appreciation to her mother as she played an important role in his preparation for the SEA Games.
“She took care of my nutrition and other important aspects.
“I would also like to thank the Malaysia Finswimming Association (MFSA), Malaysia Underwater Sports Federation (MUSF) and Penang Finswimming Association (PFSA) for giving me this opportunity to represent my state and country in this edition of the SEA Games.
“Last but not least, I would like to thank my coach for sacrificing so much for me to be where I am now today, and I’m grateful to have him by my side,” he said.
Chew’s coach Tan Choo Heng said he was proud of Chew’s achievement.
“Getting a medal is a bonus for us as we only had about three months to prepare for the SEA Games.
“Chew has potential in this sport and the SEA Games was his first step. I believe, given time, he can go further and achieve more in the higher-level competitions,” he said.
Meanwhile, PFSA president Thor Al Wayne said Chew’s medal victory is an inspiration for the association to further promote finswimming in the state.
“We form the Malaysia Finswimming Association in 2021 and Penang Finswimming Association was established last year.
“We are relatively new in this sport and getting a bronze is a huge motivational boost for the PFSA.
“The bronze medal was also the first ever medal for Malaysian finswimming as we have never won any medal in the previous SEA Games.
“It was not easy as we competed with other stronger teams from countries like Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia. Thus, it was quite an achievement.
“Perseverance is the key to our success. This is just the beginning. We will improvise and do better after this,” said Thor, who is also the secretary of the MFSA and MUSF.
Thor said the overall performance of the finswimming athletes in the recent SEA Games in Cambodia should be positively acknowledged.
“Everyone did very well. We set 12 new national records out of the 15 events we participated in.
“And we managed to enter the finals in 10 events. Seven swimmers got their personal best, so they improved quite a lot.
“Hopefully, we can get more aid from the government to assist the association in unearthing new talents. We hope the government can also help in terms of the equipment,” said Thor.
Story by Riadz Akmal
Pix by Law Suun Ting