SEA Games: Quah shines as Singapore wins two more golds in swimming

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/cna/20091213/tap-542-sea-games-yang-wang-win-table-te-231650b.html

SINGAPORE: Singapore’s swimmer Quah Ting Wen scooped a gold in the women’s 200m freestyle in the SEA Games in Laos on Sunday. She clocked 2 minutes 00.57 seconds, a new Games record.

The 17—year—old was side by side with defending champion Natthanan Junkrajang of Thailand in the last 35 metres. But Quah pulled ahead in the last 10 metres.

The Singaporean also beat Natthanan for the gold in the 100m freestyle earlier this week.

Quah then went on to join Tao Li, Shana Lim and Roanne Ho to clinch Singapore’s second gold for swimming for the night in the women’s 4x100m medley relay. The squad timed a new Games record of 4 minutes 10.38 seconds. It is also a new national record time.

The victory keeps alive coach Ang Peng Siong’s promise of a clean sweep in the six relay events.

Singapore has won 12 gold medals in the swimming competition, surpassing the 11 golds it won at the Games two years ago. There is still one more day to go for the swimming finals.

Earlier Sunday, Singapore’s Russell Ong claimed the bronze in the men’s 50m freestyle in 22.98 seconds. The gold went to the Philippines’ Daniel Coakley who clocked 22.62 seconds while Thailand’s Arwut Chinnapasaen claimed the silver in 22.75 seconds.

In table tennis, Yang Zi and Wang Yuegu beat Feng Tianwei and Gao Ning 3—2 in the mixed doubles final in an all—Singapore encounter.

Yang/Wang won 9—11, 12—10, 15—13, 4—11, 11—4 to clinch the gold medal. Feng/Gao got the silver.

But Singapore’s quest to repeat its sweep of seven SEA Games gold medals in table tennis ended after both of its men’s doubles pairs crashed out in the semi—finals.

Singapore’s number one pairing of Gao Ning and Yang Zi lost to their Vietnamese opponents 7—11, 6—11, 12—10, 6—11, while Cai Xioali and Pang Xue Jie lost 6—11, 9—11, 6—11 in the other semifinal, also to the Vietnamese.

In the women’s doubles, it will be an all—Singapore final, after Wang Yuegu and Feng Tianwei beat Thailand 3—1 in the semifinal and Sun Bei Bei and Yu Meng Yu beat Vietnam 3—0 in the other semifinal.

In silat, Saiedah Said settled for a bronze in the Class C (women) category.

Singapore’s medal tally at 7pm: 21 gold, 11 silver, 20 bronze.

MediaCorp Channel 5 will telecast ’live’ more swimming finals and table tennis doubles finals events from 7pm on Monday.