KUCHING: With 16 gold medals and five new meet records to his name, 13-year-old Sheamus Chew Heng Yi has emerged as the standout performer of the 5th Sarawak Sprint Swimming Championship 2025, setting his sights on the upcoming Borneo Games as his next challenge.
The championship, held from Aug 15 to 17, brought together a strong field of 504 swimmers representing Taiwan, Indonesia, Brunei, Sabah, and West Malaysia, making it one of the most competitive editions to date.
Sheamus excelled throughout the meet, sweeping 12 gold medals in individual events while breaking three meet records.
Representing Power Aquatics Swimming Club (PASC), he also anchored his team in the relays, adding another four golds and two meet records, bringing his overall tally to 16 gold medals and five records.
The young prodigy credited his success to the dedication of his coaches, Voon Yong Hui and Frederick Hermoso, whose guidance has been instrumental in sharpening both his technique and mental focus.
“This competition actually is hope can more new swimmer to join. In future more powerful swimmers will come out,” said Sheamus when met by Sarawak Tribune today (Aug 18).
He added that his next target will be the Borneo Games 2025, where he aims to test himself against the best swimmers from across the island, building on his momentum from this championship.
With his remarkable performance, Sheamus has not only underlined his status as one of Sarawak’s brightest young swimming prospects but also raised expectations for greater success on bigger stages to come.
For the record, Sarawak, Sabah, Labuan, Brunei, East Kalimantan and West Kalimantan will take part in the Games from Sept 24 to 28.
The sporting event includes badminton, lawn bowls, athletics, archery, and swimming, alongside traditional events such as blowpipe shooting and tug-of-war.
