SUKMA 2026 Swimming Day 1 Prelims: Selangor and WP Lead the Charge

SHAH ALAM, 19 August 2026 —

Swimming competition at SUKMA XXII 2026 got underway at the MSN Aquatic Centre on Wednesday, with eight preliminary events across freestyle, breaststroke, backstroke, and individual medley. Selangor and Wilayah Persekutuan (WP) emerged as the early powerhouses, combining to top six of the eight events — with WP's Xin Lin Chong breaking a meet record in the process.

WP's Dhuha Fastest in Men's 200m Free

Muhammad Dhuha Bin Zulfikry of Wilayah Persekutuan posted the fastest time of the day relative to seed, clocking 1:52.09 to lead the Men's 200m Freestyle qualifiers — nearly a second under his seed time of 1:53.04. Selangor placed two swimmers in the top five through Aslan Adnan (1:56.77) and Li Jie Goh (1:57.71), while Pulau Pinang's Cheng Feng Loo (1:56.57) slotted in second overall.

Nadia Lim Leads Women's 200m Free

Perak's Nadia Lim topped the Women's 200m Freestyle with a 2:09.37, just ahead of Selangor pair Eliza Ai Shen Tan (2:11.91) and Yuan Yi Chong (2:12.33). Kelly Yao Teo of Sarawak qualified in third at 2:12.20. Eight swimmers advanced to finals.

Buckley Tops Women's 100m Breaststroke

Isabelle Chiyi Buckley (WP) took the top qualifier spot in the Women's 100m Breaststroke with 1:14.93, just ahead of Negeri Sembilan's Asha Sithamparam (1:15.15) and Perak's Yuan Yuan Lee (1:15.84). A notable qualifier: 12-year-old Wen An Lai of Melaka made the final in 1:19.25 — the youngest swimmer to qualify in any event on Day 1.

Cayden Gooi Edges Tense Men's 100m Breaststroke

Selangor's Cayden Gooi led the Men's 100m Breaststroke in 1:04.90, but the story of the heat was the dead-heat for second: Khai Hern Wan (Pulau Pinang) and Yu Xiang Cham (WP) both clocked an identical 1:04.92. All three are set to be serious medal contenders in the final. Emmanuel Yung Ming Loh (Sabah) and Arish Amni Bin Ronisafihin (also Sabah) rounded out the top five.

Xin Lin Chong Breaks Meet Record in Women's 50m Backstroke

WP's Xin Lin Chong clocked 29.64 to lead the Women's 50m Backstroke — breaking the previous meet record of 29.74 in the preliminary heats. Brunei's Sharmeen BT M. Mharvin qualified second (30.29), while 12-year-old Wen An Lai (Melaka, 30.41) made a second final on the day. Selangor's Rainne Jie Xin Foo, seeded at 30.81, was disqualified during heats.

Selangor Leads Men's 50m Backstroke

Daniel Scott Williams (Selangor) led all Men's 50m Backstroke qualifiers with 27.05, followed by Brunei's Joel Thai Yu Ling (27.24) and Selangor's Oswald Lim (27.48). Sarawak placed two swimmers — Dylan Yi Quan Leong (27.52) and Darren Yi Chen Leong (27.81) — in the top eight. Perak's Yong Jun Ang was disqualified.

Selangor Sweeps Both 400m IM Top Spots

The 400m Individual Medley events were Selangor's strongest showing of the day. Shannon Yan-Qing Tan topped the Women's 400m IM in 5:14.25, with Pulau Pinang's Yuet Ting Aw (5:15.43) close behind and Selangor's Jia Jia Yoong third (5:22.12). In the men's event, Selangor's Li Hen Goh posted the quickest time of 4:43.46, with his teammate Li Jie Goh third (4:47.90). Johor's Sophocles Xinxian Ng slotted in between at 4:46.47.

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Day 1 Prelims — Top Qualifiers

Event	Top Qualifier	State	Time
W 200m Freestyle	Nadia Lim	Perak	2:09.37
M 200m Freestyle	Muhammad Dhuha Bin Zulfikry	WP	1:52.09
W 100m Breaststroke	Isabelle Chiyi Buckley	WP	1:14.93
M 100m Breaststroke	Cayden Gooi	Selangor	1:04.90
W 50m Backstroke	Xin Lin Chong 🌟 MR	WP	29.64
M 50m Backstroke	Daniel Scott Williams	Selangor	27.05
W 400m IM	Shannon Yan-Qing Tan	Selangor	5:14.25
M 400m IM	Li Hen Goh	Selangor	4:43.46

Finals for all eight events take place tonight at Pusat Akuatik Darul Ehsan (Selangor Aquatics). Full results at atlaspoolside.org.