Xin Lin Chong returns to defend both backstroke sprints

Xin Lin Chong walks into SUKMA XXII as the athlete every other backstroker in the field is racing against, not just each other.

The Wilayah Persekutuan swimmer already owns the meet record in the women's 50 back — a 29.74 she posted at this exact meet two years ago — and she's the only swimmer in the field who has been under 29.5 seconds. Her seed of 29.47 for Day 1's heats sits comfortably clear of the rest of the entry list, with Perak's Zi Lin Khong (31.46) and Melaka's Wen An Lai (30.62) the next-closest names on the sheet. The national record, Chong Xin Lin's 29.32 from 2024, is technically the same swimmer under a reordered name — which tells you exactly how far ahead of the field she is.

The 100 back later in the meet is where the real title defence happens. Chong doubled up on both backstroke sprints at the last edition and left with two golds; nothing in this startlist suggests anyone has closed the gap since. If anything, the depth chart around her looks thinner this cycle, with several contingents leaning on age-group swimmers still finding their long-course speed.

For Wilayah Persekutuan, Chong's presence is as much a statement as a medal chance. The federal squad hasn't hosted SUKMA swimming before, and a start-to-finish sweep of the backstroke sprints from its highest-profile swimmer is exactly the kind of headline a bid to keep the sport growing in the capital needs.