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Swimming: Yih Wey gives up

By LIM TEIK HUAT

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia have lost a gold medal prospect in the Laos SEA Games next year with Negri Sembilan swimmer Lew Yih Wey deciding to quit competitive swimming.

The 17-year-old, who completed her SPM examinations last month, wants to concentrate on furthering her studies. She has also not been training much since her return last August from the Beijing Olympics where she swam in the 400m individual medley.

The Negri Sembilan Amateur Swimming Association president, Zainal Othman, said that Yih Wey would not be joining the full-time programme for the swimmers in Bukit Jalil next year.

“We have tried to persuade her to return to full-time training as she has completed her SPM exams. We have also approached her parents on the matter and they told us that Yih Wey has made up her mind to give up competitive swimming,” said Zainal, who is also the deputy president for Amateur Swimming Union of Malaysia (Asum).

File picture shows national swimmer Lew Yih Wey win the gold medal in Women's 200m Backstroke and bronze in 200m Individual Medley at 24th Korat Sea games.

“It’s disappointing that she chose to quit. We want to help her but there is nothing we can do if her heart is not in it. As far as studies are concerned, it would have been easier if she was in the programme as we can help her secure a place in the local universities through National Sports Council.”

Yih Wey burst into prominence when she bagged nine gold medals and broke six records in the 2006 Sukma (Malaysia Games) in Alor Star. She went on to bag a gold medal in the 200m backstroke at the Korat SEA Games last year.

For the Laos SEA Games at the end of next year, Zainal felt that the absence of Yih Wey would not cause a big dent to Malaysia’s medal chances as they still have the services of another Negri swimmer, Siow Yi Ting.

Besides the breaststroke discipline, Yi Ting, who won the female Olympian of the Year Award last week, is also an accomplished swimmer in the 200m and 400m individual medley.

In Yih Wey’s absence, 14-year-old Cheng Karmen is now seen as the best hope in the 200m backstroke.

But Karmen, who finished fourth in the event in Korat, will have to make tremendous improvement over the next 12 months if she hopes to win gold for Malaysia in Laos.

The Star

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