The 2024 National Swimming and Finswimming Championship held at the National Olympic Stadium from December 26-28. Chhorn Norn
The Cambodian Swimming Federation remains optimistic about securing medals in swimming and diving at the 33rd SEA Games in 2025, set to take place in Thailand. However, the exclusion of finswimming – a discipline where Cambodia excelled with two golds, one silver and four bronze medals at the 2023 games – has tempered expectations.
Hem Kiry, the federation’s secretary-general, expressed disappointment over the absence of finswimming, which he said denies Cambodian athletes a chance to showcase their progress on the regional stage.
“Losing the finswimming event makes it harder for us to win medals at the 2025 SEA Games, as our finswimming team has been making remarkable progress toward achieving higher levels of performance,” Kiry told The Post on Tuesday morning, December 31.
Despite the setback, Kiry remains hopeful that Cambodia’s swimmers and divers can deliver strong results, even though these disciplines have yet to bring home SEA Games medals for the Kingdom.
“If finswimming were included in the SEA Games, we would have had high hopes of winning gold medals,” he said. “However, I am still hopeful for the swimming events, and we are also considering diving as a promising discipline.”
Kiry pointed to the potential of overseas-based athletes as a reason for optimism. Khmer-French swimmer Antoine de Lapparent, who reached the finals in the 50m and 100m freestyle events at the 2023 SEA Games, is seen as a key contender. Likewise, Khmer-American diver Lu-Si Minnich, currently training in the US, is viewed as a promising representative for Cambodia in diving competitions.
Pon Sok, director-general of the General Department of Sports, presents medals and cash prizes to female athletes who won in the finswimming category at the 2024 National Swimming Championship. Chhorn Norn
“For diving, we have Lu-Si Minnich, who is training regularly at a university in the US. If she reaches a high enough level, we plan to bring her back to compete for Cambodia again, as she also represented the country at the 2023 SEA Games,” Kiry said. “For swimming, we are placing our hopes on athletes like Antoine de Lapparent, and I believe he will perform well and secure a medal for Cambodia.”
Kiry also acknowledged the progress of locally trained swimmers, noting their improved skills and techniques, which were on display at the 2024 National Swimming and Finswimming Championships held on December 28.
He described the championships, funded by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, as an important annual event for identifying exceptional athletes to join the national team in preparation for the 2025 SEA Games. The competition also served as a platform for scouting young talent for the 2029 Asian Youth Games, which Cambodia will host.
