KUALA LUMPUR: National swimmer Khiew Hoe Yean received a boost in his bid to qualify for the Paris Olympics when he smashed his 400m freestyle national record in the Australian Open in the Gold Coast today.
The 21-year-old, who was swimming against three world champions, finished fourth with 3:48.36s to better his national record of 3:48.72 set at the World Championships in Budapest two years ago.
This is the second time Hoe Yean cracked the national mark this year. He clocked 8:02.78 to cut two seconds off his previous mark of 8:05.11, which he had set at last year's world meet in Fukuoka, Japan.
Hoe Yean may have missed out on the podium but it was nevertheless a wonderful effort considering that he was racing against the three current fastest 400m freestyle swimmers on the planet.
Australia's 2022 world champion Elijah Winnington clocked a phenomenal 3:41.41s to beat compatriot and 2023 world champion Sam Short (3:41.64) to the gold medal. Newly crowned world champion Kim Woo Min South Korea settled for third in 3:45.12.
Hoe Yean's latest effort is also the world's 27th fastest time this year and this put him on track to secure Olympic qualification as it is not far off the Olympic Consideration Time (OCT) of 3:47.91.
If Hoe Yean does not qualify on merit, he still has a chance to get invited for the Paris Games under the "universality ticket" as he has met the condition of having competed in the world meet in Doha earlier this year.
