MALAYSIAN swimmers are getting the chills, literally, after three days of training and their biggest challenge will be getting their bodies warmed up properly when the competition begins.
The swimmers had a chance to train at the main pool of the National Sports Complex yesterday as the waterpolo competition ended on Monday but it was not much of a difference.
Team manager Tang Kwai Mae said that the temperature dipped sharply after 5pm for the past few days .
“The water in the warm-up pool outside gets very cold,” he said.
“We had a late training session when we arrived here three days ago and most of the swimmers were shivering when they came out of the water.
“I am a bit worried as the finals start around 6pm and they will need to really warm up properly.
“What we have done is to get them to wear gloves or thick socks when they come out of the water after finishing their training as we don’t want them to get sick later.”
National coach Paul Birmingham said it was not so much a problem if the swimmer had only one event a day.
“But this becomes a factor if one has to swim more than once, which is what most of our main swimmers will be doing,” he said.
“It is crucial for them to maintain their body temperatures as they will be switching from the warm-up pool to the main pool.
“But, looking at the bright side, this experience is good for the younger ones as it teaches them to take better care of themselves.
“They usually have their parents around back home but here they are on their own.”
Malaysia have a 20-member swimming squad but they are not expected to repeat the seven-gold haul in the 2007 Korat Games because of the stronger competition from Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines this time around. STAR
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