Final in first Asiad would be a dream come true - Hoe Yean

KUALA LUMPUR - National men's swimming ace, Khiew Hoe Yean has his eyes fixed on having a go at least in the final of his maiden Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

While acknowledging the fact that getting a medal in Hangzhou Asiad is going to be a tall order for him, Hoe Yean said that making the cut to the final for his pet event, men's 400 metres (m) freestyle would be a dream come true for him.

"I want to go out there and try to gain experience in Hangzhou. I know the Asian Games is happening once every four years and this is definitely bigger than the Sea Games.

"I hope I will improve my performance there. Even though it's not easy (to advance to the final), I will give it a try,” he told Bernama when met recently.

Apart from men's 400m freestyle, the 21-year-old is also slated to compete in men's 200m freestyle in Hangzhou.

Meanwhile, Hoe Yean is looking forward to race with South Korean ace, Kim Woo-min and his Southeast Asian nemesis, Vietnam's Nguyen Huy Hoang should they meet in the upcoming Asiad.

Last July, Woo-min became the sole Asian swimmer and finished fifth in men's 400m freestyle at the World Aquatic Championships 2023 in Fukuoka, Japan.

Huy Hoang, on the other hand, is a three-time men's 400m freestyle Sea Games gold medallist (2019, 2021 and 2023).

In the meantime, the men's 400m freestyle national record holder admitted that his final lap of preparation leading up to the upcoming Asian Games has been pretty tough so far.

The men's 200m freestyle 2023 Sea Games champion said that he is still finding his way to get back to the training form after returning home from two back-to-back meets - World Aquatic Championships 2023 followed by the 31st World University Games - last month.

The 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games is scheduled to kick off from Sept 23 until Oct 8. - BERNAMA