SHAH ALAM – Sarawak swimmer Matthias Liew Ming Zhi claimed bronze in the men’s 100-metre butterfly at the XXII Selangor 2026 Malaysia Games (SUKMA) after a closely contested final at the Darul Ehsan Aquatic Centre on Saturday.
Matthias finished the race in 55.99 seconds, just 0.03 seconds behind Federal Territory swimmer Muhammad Dhuha Zulfikry, who took silver in 55.96 seconds.
The gold medal went to home swimmer Goh Li Hen, who stopped the clock at 55.86 seconds. The result left only 0.13 seconds between the winner and third-placed Matthias.
The narrow margins reflected the intensity of the race, with the three leading swimmers separated by fractions of a second as they approached the finish.
Matthias remained within striking distance of the leading swimmers throughout the event and continued to challenge the front group through the closing stages. His final time was enough to secure Sarawak another podium finish in the swimming programme.
Goh’s winning performance gave Selangor the gold on home ground, while Dhuha secured silver for the Federal Territory. Matthias completed the podium for Sarawak after producing a time that was less than a tenth of a second behind the winner.
The bronze adds to Sarawak’s medal haul in aquatic sports at SUKMA XXII and provides another podium result for the state’s swimming contingent during the Games.
For Matthias, the result also represents a competitive showing against swimmers from several of Malaysia’s leading swimming programmes. The small gap separating the medal positions underlined how closely matched the finalists were in the 100-metre butterfly.
The result comes as Sarawak’s swimmers continue their campaign at the Games, with further events still to be contested. Matthias’ performance gives the contingent another medal while maintaining its presence among the leading competitors in the swimming programme.
The men’s 100-metre butterfly is one of the events requiring both speed and technical efficiency, with swimmers needing to maintain their rhythm through the race while managing the demanding butterfly stroke. In a final decided by hundredths of a second, the closing metres proved decisive.
Although Matthias missed out on the gold by a narrow margin, his 55.99-second performance secured bronze and contributed another result to Sarawak’s campaign in Selangor.
With the swimming competition continuing, the Sarawak contingent will now turn its attention to the remaining events on the programme as it seeks further podium finishes at SUKMA XXII.
