Quah Siblings Help Singapore Win Mixed Medley Debut At SEA Games

2023 SOUTHEAST ASIAN (SEA) GAMES

• Saturday, May 6th – Thursday, May 11th
• Morodok Tecno National Aquatics Center, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
• LCM (50m)
• World Championships/Olympic Games Qualifier
• Meet Site
• Days 1 & 2 Recap/Day 3 Recap
• Live Results

Several national records bit the dust on day four of the 2023 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games while swimmers vied for not only medals but also World Championships and 2024 Olympic Games qualifying times.

Teia Salvino of the Philippines was among the record-breakers, with the 17-year-old capturing gold in the women’s 100m backstroke.

Stopping the clock in a time of 1:01.64, Salvina obliterated the previous Filipino standard of 1:02.70 Chloe Isleta put on the books just last year at the 2022 ASEAN University Games. Salvino trains stateside with the Mission Viejo Nadadores.

Salvina’s victory pairs with countrymate Xiandi Chua who took the 200m backstroke earlier in the competition to give the Philippines domination in the backstroke discipline thus far on the women’s side.

Also logging a new national mark was Kamonchanok Kwanmuang in the women’s 400m IM.

The 18-year-old Thai athlete produced a mark of 4:47.25 to take the event for the second consecutive Games, getting to the wall over 2 seconds ahead of runner-up Jinjutha Pholjamjumrus, also of Thailand. Pholjamjumrus earned silver in 4:52.08 to make it a 1-2 Thai punch.

As for Kwanmuang, the teen’s performance sliced just under half a second off her own Thai national record of 4:47.66 she established last December at the SEA Age Group Championships.

This 4IM victory also marks Kwanmuang’s first individual gold of these Games after already having reaped silver in the 200mfly, silver in the 200 free and bronze in the 400m free.

The Singaporean mixed medley relay also downed a national record on day four.

The combination of Quah Zheng Wen, Nicholas Mahabir, Quah Jing Wen and Quah Ting Wen produced a winning effort of 3:51.72 to earn gold, erasing the previous Singaporean standard of 3:53.90 that was put on the books at the 2019 World Championships.

Quah Zheng opened in 55.72 while Mahabir hit a breast split of 1:00.80. Quah Jing carried a split of 58.88 on fly before her sister closed it out in 56.32. This is the first time this mixed medley relay event has been featured at an SEA Games.

Letitia Sim came close to breaking her own Singaporean national record en route to topping the women’s 100m breaststroke podium.

The University of Michigan swimmer touched the wall in a mark of 1:07.94, just .08 outside of her record of 1:07.86 she logged in 2021. She also won this event at last year’s edition of the Games, hitting 1:08.79.

Tonight, Sim captured gold ahead of Malaysia’s Phee Jinq En who snagged silver in 1:09.59 while Singaporean teammate Christie May Chue rounded out the top 3 in 1:10.94.

Sim had already grabbed gold in the women’s 200m IM earlier in the competition, establishing a new national record of 2:14.49 in the process.

There is a discrepancy in the results in the men’s 100m butterfly. The official website lists Singapore’s Teong Tzen Wei as the gold medalist in a time of 52.60 while the Meet Mobile results list Quah Zheng Wen as the winner in 52.04.

Behind these two men was Jarod Hatch of the Philippines, who touched in 52.91 to earn a new national record and Thailand’s Navaphat Wongcharoen also scored a new national standard of 52.98.

Of note, Joseph Schooling, the Singaporean Olympic champion who had won this event consecutively across 5 appearances, is not competing here at these Games. He was selected but dropped out, deeming himself not ‘race ready.’

Additional Winners

• Malaysia’s Hoe Yean Khiew topped the men’s 200m free podium in a mark of 1:48.91, repeating his gold medal status from last year.
• Quah Jing Wen doubled up on her 200m fly victory here with another win in the 100m fly. Quah stopped the clock in a mark of 52.02 to beat out her sister Quah Ting Wen who settled for silver in 59.51 as the only other sub-minute swimmer in the race. The pair finished 1-2 last year as well.

Swimming Medal Table Through Day 4