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2017 SEA Games Preview: Schooling Ruffles Malaysian Feathers

2017 SEA GAMES

  • Opening Ceremony August 19th; Swimming Competition August 21st – August 26th
  • Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • LCM
  • Meet Site
  • Results

The 29th edition of the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games held its Opening Ceremony today, with the swimming competition slated to start on August 21st. Swimming is just one of 38 sports to be contested by the estimated 4900 athletes across 11 countries, all vying for their share of the 404 gold medals up for grabs.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia is hosting the multi-national event for the 6th time, having last held the competition in 2001. To commemorate, Malaysia has set a target of 111 gold medals in order to match the nation’s result from those 2001 Games. That may prove to be a tough task considering Malaysia finished in 4th place in Singapore 2 years ago, collecting a total of just 62 gold medals.

However, helping the host nation in the pool will be Welson Sim, the 20-year-old defending SEA Games champion in the 400m freestyle. Sim has been in fine form as of late, competing at the Mare Nostrom Monaco stop earlier this season where he won gold in the aforementioned event over Olympic champion Mack Horton of Australia. Notching a winning time of 3:49.48, Sim established a new national record, which he’ll be looking to lower in Kuala Lumpur. He’ll also be targeting the longstanding, 26-year-old national record in the 1500m event set by Jeffrey Ong way back in 1991.

The nation of Singapore will see its golden child Joseph Schooling hit the pool across the 50m free, 100m free and 100m butterfly events where the Olympic champion is expected to win rather handily. If anything, Schooling may hit more friction outside of the pool, as the 22-year-old rubbed Malaysians the wrong way by saying he was ready to ‘teach them a thing or 2’ while competing in their backyard. Schooling has since apologized, clearly stating that ‘offending someone wasn’t his intention.’

Schooling will be one of 569 Singaporean athletes representing the nation’s largest SEA Games squad ever. In 2015, Singapore reaped 23 swimming titles, claiming myriad of Games records in the process, so look for the nation to be on form once again in this year’s version of the Games.

Vietnamese swimmer Thi Anh Vien collected an incredible 8 gold medals at the last edition of this meet, representing half of her nation’s entire swimming medal total. She is expected to swim 11 events this time around to help her nation improve upon its 2nd place finish in 2015’s swimming medal table.

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Flip the dolphin
7 years ago

I ran into Jeffrey Ong here in London at a networking event. Didn’t realise he was such a fast swimmer till I connected with him on linkedin. Super nice/cool dude.

Glad to see SEA starting to really compete with the Western nations. Hope to see Indonesia step up in the next few years.. they got the population for it!

ice
7 years ago

Results are hard to get for this Games, but Joseph won the 50 Fly in 23.06. A respectable time given that Worlds just ended

Jay
Reply to  ice
7 years ago

Yup. Is a world standard time. This time would have won him a silver in 2015 World Championships.

E Gamble
7 years ago

Joseph knows he’s pretty much the favorite in all of his races. Why can’t he just race? ?

Jay
Reply to  E Gamble
7 years ago

2 years ago, he swam 1:55:73 in 200 fly

ice
7 years ago

This is also by far the worst website ever for a multi sport meet in recent times. No psych sheets, results of other sports completed also barely appear on the website. If it does, its just the name and score and nothing else.

Just sayin
Reply to  ice
7 years ago

This is a swimming website primarily pool swimming but it does a semi decent job with most water sports. The SEA games aren’t the largest competition or at least most prestigious competition for swimming this summer either.

Frankie
Reply to  ice
7 years ago

There is an app for the SEA Games, which surprising provides more info than its official website, but even that is not entirely complete. My bet for the psych sheet will be on our friends at PinoySwimming.com, but that again will most like come only AFTER the event is over.

jelly
7 years ago

Schooling’s swimming the 50 fly, not 50 free

Frank
7 years ago

It would be a different story if Maxime Rooney swam for the Philippines

Justin Thompson
Reply to  Frank
7 years ago

In what events would Rooney take down Schooling? Maybe the 200 free?

Frank
Reply to  Justin Thompson
7 years ago

200… possibly 100 Fr

jelly
Reply to  Justin Thompson
7 years ago

Schooling doesn’t do 200 free

Frank
Reply to  jelly
7 years ago

Then they’d clash in the 100

Frank
Reply to  jelly
7 years ago

Actually he has .. his best time in the 200 .. is 1.49.47 While Rooney is 1.47.10
In the 100…. Schooling is 1.48.58 and Rooney’s is 1.48.87. It would be fun to watch these two

jelly
Reply to  Frank
7 years ago

What I meant was he doesnt swim the individual event, only the relay. and Schooling’s best times are:
In the 100 Fr – 48.27
200 Fr (Relay lead off) – 1.47.79

Frank
Reply to  jelly
7 years ago

My bad .. I accidentally put the 1 in front on the 100
Rooney’s is 48.87

Frank
Reply to  jelly
7 years ago

Rooney is already up there with this dude and he’s 2 years younger ? .. let’s wait and see how Schooling does in the 100 and Rooney at the world Univ Games then we’ll compare

crooked donald
7 years ago

He must’ve been referring to the “thing or two” he learned while watching Dressel’s hip. https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2017/08/265018/schooling-boasts-hell-teach-msians-thing-or-two-kl2017-netizens-school

crooked donald
Reply to  crooked donald
7 years ago

Geez. He’s been reduced to trash-talking the Malaysians.

PsychoDad
Reply to  crooked donald
7 years ago

Well, you have been reduced to trash talking Schooling. Your obsession is little annoying. Okay, so he does not practice hard and did not win Words. Now, let it go.

CROOKED HILLARY
Reply to  PsychoDad
7 years ago

The voice of reason.

CROOKED HILLARY
7 years ago

Malaysians overly sensitive IMO. What happened to the spirit of competition and a little trash talk?

rjcid
Reply to  CROOKED HILLARY
7 years ago

This. I also think swimming could use a bit more feather rufflin’

jelly
Reply to  CROOKED HILLARY
7 years ago

Malaysians can’t take banter

PsychoDad
Reply to  CROOKED HILLARY
7 years ago

You don’t know much about Malaysia and relationship among its ethnic groups, do you?

SchoolingFTW
Reply to  CROOKED HILLARY
7 years ago

Those who understand South East Asia would never in a million years mouth off something like this.

Such ignorance. Sigh.

About Braden Keith

Braden Keith

Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. Aside from his life on the InterWet, …

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