In the 200m butterfly, Thailand’s Kamonchanok Kwanmuang won gold, Vietnam’s Thi My Tien Vo finished with silver and Quah Jing Wen the bronze.
“This event is very special to me. It was my first SEA Games gold and ever since then I’ve been chasing a certain high that I just can’t seem to reach for this event”, said Jing Wen, who was in tears.
“I just gave my everything. Every time people ask me how it feels after a race when it goes this badly, when you have so much expectations, it is just very hard to put into words.”
The 25-year-old has owned the 200m butterfly crown since the 2017 Games.
“I’m proud of how she’s moved through everything,” said Zheng Wen of his younger sister. “She’s a warrior and she’s going to bounce back after this event.”