By Erwin Wong

Rainer Ng

Rainer Ng set a new record in the 100m backstroke at the World Championships. (Photo © Les Tan/Red Sports file photo)

Rome, Sunday, August 2, 2009 - 7,617 days later, and David Lim's national 100m Backstroke record was finally eclipsed. And by the slimmest of margins.

Singapore's second oldest swimming record in the books was finally laid to rest on the final day of the 13th FINA World Championships when 17-year-old Rainer Ng swam a split of 57.33s in the opening leg of the men's 4x100m Medley relay. Lim is currently one of the national coaches on the team and his record of 57.34s set at the Seoul Olympics had stood since September 24, 1988, more than 3 years before Rainer was even born.

The Raffles Institution student has been a picture of consistency over the course of the year, clocking several 58+ swims here in Rome as well as the Asian Youth Games and National Age-Group championships in March, where he set his current personal best and Under-17 record of 58.19s. Rainer's efforts at a better timing finally paid off in the medley relay when he broke the long-standing mark. The oldest national record is still head coach Ang Peng Siong's 50m Freestyle swim of 22.69s which will have stood for 27 years come August 20.

There was greater cause for celebration when the remaining members of the men's medley relay team, boosted by Rainer's quick start, put in tremendous swims of their own to break the existing national mark of 3:51.16s which was set nearly 8 years ago. Mark Tan plunged in at the first changeover and swam a breaststroke leg of 1:04.84s. Nicholas Tan was next, and after Singapore's quickest butterfly swimmer split a 55.07s, it was left to 16-year-old Clement Lim to anchor the team home. His brilliant freestyle leg of 51.50s stopped the race clock for Team Singapore at 3:48.74s, their 10th new or equaled national mark of a highly-successful outing.

The time is quicker than that of 2007 South East Asian Games winner Philippines, which clocked a 3:49.28s to win the gold medal. But it is still streets away from the current SEA Games record of 3:45.61s set by the awesome foursome of Alex Lim, Elvin Chia, Anthony Ang and Allen Ong from Malaysia, who each won individual 100m golds in their respective disciplines at the 1997 Games when they set this record.

In the heats of the final 2 individual events of the Championships, Koh Hui Yu, 14, swam a personal best of 5:02.13s in the 400m Individual Medley. Competing in the same heat was Koh Ting Ting, who managed a 5:09.52s. In the mens' heat of the same event, Pang Sheng Jun was left to fly the flag for Team Singapore when Marcus Cheah withdrew from his race. Sheng Jun, who set a National Under-17 record of 4:34.68s in June, failed to threaten it when he clocked a time of 4:43.20s.

The swimming programme concludes tonight with 7 finals, and although Team Singapore will not be involved, they have already given an excellent account of themselves at the Championships. The numbers speak for themselves: 10 new or equaled National Open records, 4 new or equaled Under-17 records, and 26 new or equaled personal bests.

List of new national records:

Men's 50m Breaststroke – Lam Wei Xiong Parker (28.66s)
Men's 50m Backstroke - Ng Kai Wee Rainer (26.70s)
Men's 100m Backstroke - Ng Kai Wee Rainer (57.33s)
Men's 4x100m Medley Relay - Ng Kai Wee Rainer, Tan Jin Wen Mark, Tan Xue Wei Nicholas, Lim Yong'en Clement (3:48.74s)
Women's 400m Freestyle - Quah Ting Wen (4:13.70s)
Women's 800m Freestyle - Lim Shu-En Lynette (8:42.16s)
Women's 1500m Freestyle - Lim Shu-En Lynette (16:41.49s)
Women's 50m Backstroke - Lim Jia Yi Shana (29.20s equaled)
Women's 4x200m Freestyle Relay - Quah Ting Wen, Lim Xiang Qi Amanda, Lim Shu-En Lynette, Ong Chui Bin Mylene (8:09.91s)
Women's 4x100m Medley Relay - Lim Jia Yi Shana, Ho Ru'en Roanne, Lim Shu-En Lynette, Quah Ting Wen (4:12.35s)

List of new Under-17 records:

Men's 100m Freestyle - Lim Yong'en Clement (52.11s)
Women's 400m Freestyle - Quah Ting Wen (4:13.70s)
Women's 50m Backstroke - Lim Jia Yi Shana (29.20s equaled)
Women's 100m Backstroke - Lim Jia Yi Shana (1:03.25s)