Wading between dentistry and major swimming event

KUALA LUMPUR: Swimmer Jayden Tan aims to represent Malaysia at the World Short Course Championships in Beijing, but his dentistry studies may hinder his participation. Balancing both commitments is proving challenging as he faces the prospect of missing nearly two weeks of classes. At the recent National Short Course Championships, Jayden swam the men's 400m individual medley in 4:16.48, just 1.10 seconds shy of the Beijing B qualifying standard of 4:17.58, and 0.39 seconds short of his personal best of 4:16.09.

Despite the tight schedule, Jayden remains optimistic about managing his time effectively. He acknowledged that dentistry is a challenging course, but remains determined to juggle both commitments. With classes running from 9am to 5pm, finding time for training is already a struggle. If Jayden were to compete in Beijing, he would have to skip approximately two weeks of school, a considerable amount of time.

He revealed that he had already met the qualifying standard before the national meet, and his latest performance, achieved after a brief respite from swimming following the Asian Games, surpassed expectations. Jayden credits the short break for his improved results, swimming for the first time since the Asian Games on Monday. The narrow record miss has further motivated Jayden to strive for Beijing, viewing it as a significant event.

He expressed his desire to break the national record and emphasized his commitment to giving his best effort at the World Championships.