Singapore’s Teong Tzen Wei sets Asian record in 50m fly at 2022 World Swimming Championships
National swimmer Teong Tzen Wei clocked 22.01 seconds in the men’s 50m butterfly at the Fina 2022 World Swimming Championships (25m) on Tuesday (Dec 13), surpassing the previous Asian record by 0.18 seconds.
Singapore swimmer Teong Tzen Wei competes in the men’s 50m butterfly final at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, where he won a silver medal. (Photo: Andy Chua/Commonwealth Games Singapore)
SINGAPORE: National swimmer Teong Tzen Wei set an Asian record in the men’s 50m butterfly at the Fina 2022 World Swimming Championships (25m) on Tuesday (Dec 13), clocking 22.01 seconds in the race.
The 25-year-old’s timing at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre surpassed the previous record of 22.19 seconds, set by Japanese Takeshi Kawamoto at the 2020 Japan National Championships (25m).
He also broke his national 50m fly short course record of 22.24 seconds, which he set at the Singapore National Swimming Championships in November 2021.
Teong topped the heats ahead of Hungary’s world record holder Szebasztian Szabo (22.07 seconds) and Germany’s Marius Kusch (22.19 seconds).
He qualified for the semi-finals, which will be held later on Tuesday. Singapore has never medalled at a short course world swimming championships.
The silver medallist in the 50m fly at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games became the first Southeast Asian swimmer to go under 22 seconds for the first time when he smashed the SEA Games 50m freestyle record in May.
On Sep 29, support for Teong, along with Joseph Schooling and Amanda Lim, was suspended for a month after he confessed to consuming controlled drugs while overseas as TeamSG athletes.
The three carded athletes under the high performance scheme were denied training assistance grants and access to sports science and sports medicine facilities and services.
Teong, Schooling, and Lim have since issued an apology and have resolved to avoid controlled drugs in the future.
