PARIS, July 27 — National swimming ace Khiew Hoe Yean's quest to shatter his own national record in the men’s 400m freestyle at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games fell short today.
Racing in the second heat at the Paris La Defense Arena, Khiew, an Olympic debutant who started in Lane Four, fought bravely but ultimately finished fourth with a time of three minutes and 51.66 seconds.
Estonia's Kregor Zirk dominated the heat with a time of 3:49.59s, while Chile's Eduardo Cisternas clocked in at 3:51.29s for second place, and Uzbekistan's Ilya Sibirtsev captured the third spot with a 3:51.52s finish.
Despite his commendable effort, his time did not secure him a spot among the top eight swimmers to advance to the final, scheduled for tomorrow.
The national record set by Khiew in Australia in April still stands at 3:48.36s.
As the nation holds its breath, all eyes now turn to national women’s swimmer Rouxin Tan as she is set to make her Olympic debut in the 100m breaststroke event tomorrow.
Both Khiew and Tan earned their spots in Paris 2024 as wildcard entries.
— Bernama
