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SEA Games: Siman breaks 50-m backstroke record
Indonesian swimmer I Gede Siman Sudartawa clocked in at 25.20 seconds in the men’s 50-meter backstroke at the 2017 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Kuala Lumpur.
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I Gede Siman Sudartawa (AFP/Marco Bertorello)
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ndonesian swimmer I Gede Siman Sudartawa clocked in at 25.20 seconds in the men’s 50-meter backstroke at the 2017 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Kuala Lumpur, breaking the biennial event’s previous record set by Quah Zheng Wen of Singapore in the last edition.
Siman, 22, who has contributed six gold medals and four silver for Indonesia throughout his participation in the Games since 2011, snatches his seventh gold this year, helping the country climb back to third position in the overall medal tally.
"I am happy to win another gold [at the SEA Games], because my goal is to present as many gold medals as possible for Indonesia," said Siman, who last won a gold medal at the 2013 Myanmar Games.
"But I was a little bit disappointed because I couldn't break my personal best in Budapest," he added.
The Balinese swimmer, who also competed in the 2012 London Olympic Games, reached the men’s 50-m backstroke semifinal during the FINA World Swimming Championship in Budapest last month, clocking in at 25.04 seconds.
Siman took the lead from the beginning of the race, leaving behind Zheng Wen and Paul Le Nguyen of Vietnam, who finished second and third, respectively.
Fellow Indonesian swimmer Ricky Anggawidjaja finished eighth after clocking in at 26.46 seconds.
Siman still has a chance to bag more medals, as he will compete in the 100-m backstroke and the 4x100-m freestyle relay.
