Singapore swimmer and Cal Bear Quah Zheng Wen broke his national record in the 200 meter backstroke this weekend, stopping the clock at 2:00.45 during the heats of the Neo Garden 13th Singapore National Swimming Championships. That time beat his own record of 2:00.55 that he had set back in 2015 at the Southeast Asian Games that were hosted in Singapore.
In an article that appeared in The Straits Times, they note that this meet is part of his preparation for the upcoming World Championships this summer after spending the spring semester in the United States. Zheng Wen, who is a two time Olympian for Singapore, moved to the U.S. in January after enrolling at Cal-Berkeley mid-year, joining Dave Durden and the Cal Bears.
The article notes that while Zheng Wen is still re-adjusting to long course after his first short course season, he is enjoying the familiarity of being back at home. The 21-year-old is planning to stay in Singapore through the duration of his preparations for the 2017 FINA World Championships.
Zheng Wen is one of two Singapore swimmers who will be competing at the FINA World Championships this summer, the other being defending Olympic gold medalist Joseph Schooling. Zheng Wen is entered in the 50, 100, and 200 butterfly in addition to the 50 and 100 back in Budapest.
Thumbs up!