KUALA LUMPUR – National swimmer Arvin Shaun Singh believes his chances of qualifying for the Paris Olympics are slim, despite achieving his personal best at this year’s Malaysia Open Swimming Championship.
The 23-year-old swimmer clocked a personal best of 1m 49.39s in the men’s 200m freestyle category during the 66th edition of the tournament, which serves as a Southeast Asia qualifier for the world’s biggest multisport event.
Arvin also holds a personal best of 49.47s in the 100m freestyle category but needs to clock 48.34s to automatically qualify for Category A for Paris.
Having excelled in events like the Malaysia Games (Sukma) and the SEA Games, Arvin has another opportunity to qualify for the Olympics by achieving a time of 48.56s, meeting the Olympic Consideration Time (OCT) criteria.
Athletes under the OCT are evaluated based on their rankings in competitions and must be ranked in the top 30 to be considered in Category B.
According to the World Aquatics Federation rankings, Arvin’s average ranking is 31.7 across 10 Paris Olympics qualifying competitions since last year’s Hancock Prospecting Queensland Championships in Australia.
Speaking to Scoop, Arvin admitted that it’s going to be tough for him to improve his rankings and points to qualify for Paris.
“I can’t lie; I’m currently very much behind in qualifying for this year’s Olympics, especially in the categories I specialise in.
“The only thing I can do now is try my best to get a faster time and leave it up to God. It’s also up to the Olympic committee to select me or not.
“If I get selected or not, I will still have fun competing, and I will see what the future holds for me at the Australian Swimming Trials,” said Arvin when contacted.
Arvin, who finished fifth in the 4x200m freestyle relay with Khiew Hoe Yean, Tan Khai Xin, and Lim Yin Chuen, clocking 7m 22.8s at the Hangzhou Asian Games, expressed happiness with his Malaysia Open performance, stating he has finally found a way to race faster.
“The Malaysia Open has been a very good competition for me, and achieving my personal best in the tournament is one of my best achievements this year.
“I’m proud of showing my capabilities to the world because I took the risk last year by skipping the tournament and trying out different swimming categories to become more versatile.
“I was a bit disappointed with the 100m freestyle category at the start of the competition because I knew I was capable of hitting 49s rather than 50s, but I collected myself well and focused on doing well in the 200m.
“I showed perseverance, which ultimately resulted in my personal best. What I learned from this competition is to be resilient, and I finally figured out how to race my way after years of experimenting,” Arvin added.
Arvin, who also has experience in men’s 200m individual medley and 4x100m, holds a total of four medals – three silvers and one bronze – from the SEA Games since making his debut in the 2019 edition in Manila.
The Kuala Lumpur-born athlete also showcased his talent by winning the men’s 50m backstroke at the 2022 Sukma Games with a time of 26.94s.
The 2024 Olympics is scheduled to take place from July 26 to August 11. – May 28, 2024