SINGAPORE, June 30. TWO national records went down at the Singapore National Championships, held Tuesday through Sunday at the Singapore Sports School. Athletes at the meet hoped to achieve the FINA “A” standard to qualify for the World Championships, but none achieved better than the “B” consideration times.
Kai Quan Yeo posted a new national record in the men's 100 free with his 50.51. He lowered his previous best time of 50.60 and grabbed a provisional qualifying mark for the World Champs, getting under FINA's 50.64 requirement. Yeo also got under the standard of 1:52.21 in the 200 free, clocking a 1:50.85, but he ended up taking second behind Zheng Wen Quah. Quah clocked 1:50.29 to take Singapore's spot in the event in Barcelona.
The 200 free marked one of five wins for Quah, who also won titles in the 50 back, 200 fly, and both IM events. He qualified for Barcelona in the 400 IM with a 4:24.83, and he achieved additional qualifying marks for the Southeast Asian Games in the 200 IM and 100 back, setting the new national mark of 56.60 in the latter event. As Singapore national Joesph Schooling explained to Swimming World at the Charlotte stop of the Arena Grand Prix, athletes must designate one meet at which they will achieve the times necessary to qualify for the Southeast Asian Games.
Darren Lim took down a pair of under-17 national records. He clocked 51.25 for second in the men's 100 free behind Yeo, and he won the 50 free in 22.87 after posting an under-17 national record and World Champs “B” qualifying time of 22.73 in prelims. Samamtha Yeo, meanwhile, posted four wins and four FINA “B” times. She set under-17 records in both the 100 (1:10.49) and 200 breast (2:32.34) and also won the 50 breast (33.01) and 200 IM (2:19.11).
Tao Li took home three national titles at the meet. The fifth-place finisher in the 100 fly at the 2008 Olympics, she took the 50 back (29.13), 100 back (1:03.80), and 100 fly (59.07), and she took second in the 200 fly (2:16.33). She posted FINA “B” times in both the 50 back and 100 fly. Other World Championships “B” times came from Ting Wen Quah in the women's 200 free (2:01.13) and 200 fly (2:13.77), Amanda Lim in the women's 50 free (25.86), and Indonesia's Glenn Sutanto in the 50 (24.25) and 100 fly (53.63).