The Star : Swimmer Kevin to use Asian meet to check on rivals’ progress

BY TAN MING WAI

PETALING JAYA: Kevin Yeap plans to use this weekend’s Asian Open Water Swimming Championships in Putrajaya to check on his potential SEA Games rivals’ progress.

The championships were last held in Hong Kong in 2013 and will be held at the Putrajaya Lake, which is also the venue for this year’s KL SEA Games (Aug 19-30).

A total of 53 swimmers from 10 countries will compete in the two events – 5km race today and the main 10km race on Sunday.

“I have no idea who I’ll be facing at the KL Games in three months’ time, so this meet gives me the chance to find out more about them as a few of them will be in action,” said the 27-year-old Kevin, who won a bronze in the 10km open water race at the 2011 Palembang SEA Games.

“But that’s not the main agenda. I’m more interested to see how much I have progressed since the World Cup (in Abu Dhabi) in March.”

Kevin failed to impress in the Abu Dhabi World Cup, which was his first assignment of the year. He finished 59th in the 68-man-field.

Kevin will be joined by Welson Sim, Vernon Lim, Wong Jun Bin and Rupert Tan at Putrajaya in the men’s event this weekend.

Japan’s Yasunari Hirai and Kazakhstan’s Vitaliy Khudyakov, who both competed in last year’s Rio de Janeiro Olympics, are the favourites.

Malaysia’s Heidi Gan and Angela Chieng will compete in the women’s division. Heidi will compete in both the 5km and 10km races. She can expect stiff challenges from Japan’s Yumi Kida and Yuki­mi Moriyama and Thai­land’s Benjaporn Sripanomthorn.


Read more at http://www.thestar.com.my/sport/swimming/2017/05/19/swimmer-kevin-to-use-asian-meet-to-check-on-rivals-progress/#e2tcemk63VZkfQYA.99