HANOI: Malaysia's wait for a Sea Games swimming gold medal came to an end after four days, with Khiew Hoe Yean triumphing in the men's 200m freestyle today.
Hoe Yean won in one minute and 47.81 seconds at the My Dinh Aquatics Centre, touching the wall just ahead of second placed Quah Zheng Wen (1:48.20) of Singapore. Vietnam's Hoang Qu Phuoc (1:49.35) completed the podium.
Malaysia's Welson Sim, who won the event in 2017, came in sixth with 1:50.63.
Hoe Yean said he was determined to make an impact.
"I felt good and had really prepared well for these Sea Games but I was a bit too excited on the first day when I swam in the individual events.
"I was really hungry for gold. I came here targeting the 200m backstroke, but I did not want to stop at that."
It was Hoe Yean's fourth medal of the games after earlier settling for silver in the 400m freestyle, 4x200m freestyle relay and 200m backstroke.
Results
Men's 50m breaststroke: 1 Bao Pham Thanh (Vie) 28.28s, 2 Gagarin Nathaniel (Ina) 28.31, 3 Maximillian Ang (Sin) 28.32, 4 Hii Puong Wei (Mas) 28.81, 5 Ng Jing Fu (Mas) 28.96
200m freestyle: 1 Khiew Hoe Yean (Mas) 1:47.81, 2 Quah Zheng Wen (Sin) 1:48.20, 3 Hoang Quy Phuoc (Vie) 1:49.35, 6. Welson Sim (Mas) 1:50.63
200m individual medley: 1 Nguyen Tran Hung (Vie) 2:01.22, 2 Dulyarit Kaewsriyong (Tha) 2:02.89, 3 Maxmimillian Ang (Sin) 2:03.73, 8 Hii Puong Wei (Mas) 2:07.64,
Women's 1,500m freestyle: 1 Gan Ching Hwee (Sin) 16:36.73, 2 My Tien Vo Thi (Vie) 16:55.88, 3 Yarinda Sunthornrangsri (Tha) 17:07.45, 4. Goh Chia Tong (Mas) 17:07.64