Swimming sensation Shannon Tan smashes Sukma record three times in a day

Fifteen-year-old swimmer Shannon Tan Yan Qing shattered the Sukma record three times in a single day at the 2026 Malaysia Games in Kuala Lumpur. She first broke the record in the women's 200m butterfly, finishing the race in 2:15.77s, beating the previous mark of 2:17.79s set by Hii Siew Siew in 2012. Shannon lowered her own meet record again in the final, clocking 2:15.13s, coming within 0.83s of Khoo Cai Lin's national record of 2:14.30s set in 2009.

Her efforts helped Selangor win two swimming gold medals at the games. Later, Shannon contributed to the hosts' victory in the women's 4x100m freestyle relay, breaking another Sukma record with a time of 3:54.54s, surpassing the previous meet record of 3:55.84 set by Selangor last year. The Federal Territories finished in silver with a time of 3:58.13s, while Penang claimed bronze in 3:59.83s.

After the medal ceremony, Shannon expressed her satisfaction with her performances, stating that setting the two records was particularly special. She remains determined to challenge the national record in other events, and plans to focus on recovery before her next race in the women's 100m butterfly. Meanwhile, Federal Territories swimmers Dhuha Dzulfikry and Samuel Chong Weng Lai also secured gold and silver medals respectively in the men's 1,500m freestyle and 100m butterfly events.