Finswimming makes splash on return

Finswimmer Nguyen Thanh Loc (back, centre) broke the SEA Games record and won the gold medal in the men's 100m surface event on May 21. (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNS/VNA) — Asian finswimming powerhouse Vietnam won four, while Indonesia took two out of seven events held on May 21 at the My Dinh Water Sports Palace in Hanoi.

The hosts set four new records on the first day of the competition.

Nguyen Thanh Loc finished first and broke the SEA Games record with a time of 34.82sec in the men's 100m surface event.

His result passed the old record of 36.94 set by Nguyen Trung Kien in the 2011 Games in Indonesia.

Pham Thi Thu added the second in the women's 100m surface event. She won with a time of 40.41sec, another record. The previous best time of 40.61sec was set by Thu in qualification.

Cao Thi Duyen proved her talent in the women's 100m bi-fins event, coming in at 49.04sec. Duyen broke the 50.41sec record she set in the morning.

Later in the day, Kim Anh Kiet broke a 19-year-old record in the men's 1,500m surface.

The 19-year-old completed his race in 12:52.45, beating the old record of 13:19.26 set by compatriot Ngo Xuan Phuong in the SEA Games 22 in 2003, also in Vietnam.

The Vietnamese team finished first in the men's 4x200m relay surface event, but the final result will not be announced until May 22 due to a complaint from Indonesia.

Indonesia have invested strongly in finswimming and recently secured two golds and a record. Harvey Hubert Marcello Hutasuhut clinched the gold with a new Games record of 43.51sec in the men's 100m bi-fins, beating compatriot Wesshasartar Nutt's 44.37s feat set in the 2011 Indonesia Games.

The other gold was in the women's 4x200m relay surface event.

There are 13 finswimming events this Games. The remaining six will be held on May 22.

Vietnam hope to take eight to nine gold medals to defend their top place in the table./.