SEA Games 2019: Singapore swimmer Amanda Lim sets meet record, qualifies for Tokyo Olympics

On Sunday, Singapore swimmer Amanda Lim won the 50m freestyle at the SEA Games 2019 – and in the process, broke the meet record and also qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.

Amanda Lim set a new personal best for the first time in around ten years, finishing the race in 25.06 seconds, ahead of Thailand’s Jenjira Srisa-Ard (25.32 seconds) and Jasmine Alkhaldi (25.48 seconds) of the Philippines. The time set by Lim has also been declared as a SEA Games record.

After winning the gold medal, Lim said: “My previous best was 25.3 and I haven’t done a PB in like 10 years.”

“I’m really happy with 25.06. To do it again, to bring it back to Singapore for the sixth consecutive time, I’m speechless.”

“The SEA Games is always something pretty special to me. Made my first team when I was 14 years old, and here I am standing at 26 and still going for it.”

“I guess it’s just a passion for racing. My family’s in the stands, coming all the way from Singapore and I have family and relatives from back home watching on TV,” she concluded.

Earlier, during the heats itself, Amanda Lim had matched the Olympic B-Cut time of 25.51 seconds, to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.

Singapore’s swimmers won three other golds in the SEA Games 2019 on Sunday – Lionel Khoo in the 50m breaststroke, Darren Chua in the 100m freestyle and the 4x100m relay team of Quah, her sister Jing Wen, Christie Chue and Elena Pedersen.

Quotes via TNP.sg.