SEA Games: Yeap, Gan bag 10km open water swimming gold for Malaysia
Astro Arena
August 18, 2017 13:28 MYT
August 18, 2017 13:28 MYT
Kevin Yeap Soon Choy and Heidi Gan pose proudly with their gold medal that they won in the 10KM Open Swimming event in the men and women's cetegory respectively at the Putrajaya Watersports Complex here, today. - BERNAMA pic
Kevin Yeap and Heidi Gan won gold in 10km open water swimming at the 2017 SEA Games on Friday.
Yeap clocked 2:03.18s in the men's event at the Putrajaya Lake, almost three and six minutes ahead of Thailand's Peerapat Lertsathapornsuk and Indonesia's Aflah Fadlan Prawira respectively.
Following his victory, the Perak-born swimmer expressed his delight at finishing first and announced his retirement from the national team.
"Overall the weather was good and the water temperature was not that hot today," said Yeap, who won his last SEA Games gold in 400m freestyle in Indonesia six years ago.
"Even though I was really tired, I was able to hold my strokes and pace, which was my strategy.
"I told the coach that I would go all out and sustain my pace [because] if other swimmers tried to follow my pace, they would be twice as tired as I would be.
"I wanted to retire in glory, so I never gave up, kept pushing and did not hold back."
Wong Jun Bin, the other Malaysian male swimmer in the race, finished sixth.
As for Gan, she outswam Thailand's Benjaporn Sriphanomthorn, Singapore's Liew Li-Shan and compatriot Angela Chieng Chui Fei with a time of 2:11.02.
"I am so happy and proud. I really worked hard for this race and I did not have a break since the Rio Olympics," she said.
"I really wanted to win gold for Malaysia in front of the home crowd, plus it was only the second time that the open water event was held.
"I want to thank my coach, Matt Magee, who has worked with me for 11 years and was there for me when I won my first SEA Games gold and competed at two Olympics.
"I also want to thank the National Sports Institute, National Sports Council and the entire national contingent for their support for me."