Singapore’s Mikkel Lee and Letitia Sim grab gold on SEA Games swimming night, signaling a strong start for the host nation
BANGKOK — Mikkel Lee blasted to Singapore’s first swimming gold at the SEA Games with a 48.65-second effort in the men’s 100m freestyle, edging fellow Singaporean Quah Zheng Wen (49.45) and Vietnam’s Tran Van Nguyen Quoc (50.02) at the Huamark Aquatic Center on December 10. The performance marked a personal best for the 22-year-old, surpassing his previous best of 49.10.
In the next event, Letitia Sim secured a second gold for Singapore, triumphing in the women’s 50m breaststroke with a Games-record time of 31.03. She finished ahead of local favorite Jenjira Srisaard (31.52), while Saovanee Boonampha of Thailand and Malaysia’s Phee Jinq En tied for third after both clocked 31.71.
Yet the road to regional supremacy remains competitive. Defending champion Quah finished third in the men’s 100m backstroke, recording 56.04 behind Indonesia’s Jason Donovan Yusuf (55.08) and Farrel Tangkas (55.89).
Quah Zheng Wen’s sister, Jing Wen, also saw her bid for the women’s 200m butterfly title end in a podium-place finish, dipping to third in 2:13.88. Thailand’s Kamonchanok Kwanmuang claimed gold in 2:11.78, with Vietnam’s Thi My Tien Vo taking silver in 2:12.10.
In a vociferous home crowd that drowned out the deejay’s Thai pop with drums and cheering for their swimmers, Kamonchanok surged in the final 50 meters to deny Jing Wen.
Earlier, Singapore failed to snap two decades without a gold in the men’s 200m individual medley, as Tran Hung Nguyen of Vietnam—dominating medley events since 2019—won in 2:02.11. Filipino Gian Santos finished second (2:03.88), while another Vietnamese, Nguyen Quang Thuan, took third (2:04.19).
Singapore’s Maximillian Ang (2:05.89) and Zackery Tan (2:06.88) placed fifth and seventh in the race, respectively.
The first swimming night culminates with the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay final, an event Singapore has dominated since 2015.
Team Singapore has led the SEA Games swimming medal table since 2005, most recently amassing 22 golds, 15 silvers, and 10 bronzes at the 2023 edition in Cambodia.
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