Newsflash: Ting Wen pips Amanda in battle for 50m freestyle crown

Quah Ting Wen staved off an intense challenge from team-mate Amanda Lim to capture the Girls 50m freestyle gold tonight.

The 17-year-old Raffles Institution (Junior College) had entered the final feeling a little bruised after watching Amanda break her national record of 25.65sec with her 25.38sec effort in yesterday’s heats, a feat which also propelled the 16-year-old Singapore Sports School student into the world’s top 40 list of best 50m free times this year.

Ting Wen clocked 25.54sec herself to enter the final as the second-best qualifier after Amanda.

As such, all eyes were on tonight’s final to see if Amanda could pull off a win over her more-famous rival.

 But it was not to be. The moment the duo plunged into the pool, it was Ting Wen who surged ahead by a fraction. 

And as the crowd at the Singapore Sports School roared both competitors on, Ting Wen held her nerve and never gave up her lead despite having the determined and tenacious Amanda breathing down her neck for the entire stretch.

In the end, Ting Wen won her second swimming gold – and Singapore’s sixth of the AYG – when she touched home in 25.43sec. Amanda finished a blink of an eye later in 25.68sec.

Hong Kong’s Stephanie Au was third in 26.22sec.

Singapore also won a bronze in the pool tonight. The Republic finished third in the Boys 4x100m medley relay in 3min 52.59sec, behind South Korea (3:50.84) and China (3:51.94)

Yours in sport

Singapore Sports Fan