Selamat Hari Lahir, Jeffrey Ong!

Legasi Lagenda ingin mengucapkan selamat hari lahir yang ke-51 kepada dua kali Olimpian, Jeffrey Ong. 

Perenang legenda yang dilahirkan di Pulau Pinang mula memasuki kolam sejak kecil lagi. Sebaik sahaja Jeffrey berada dalam air, beliau berjaya memecah rekod. 

Pada usia 13 tahun, beliau memecahkan rekod 400m gaya bebas kejohanan di Pertandingan Antara Kelab Asia Tenggaramasa dengan masa 4:27.30 . Pada tahun berikutnya di Kejohanan Renang ASEAN (mengikut umur), beliau memenangi tempat pertama dan memecahkan rekod sendiri beliau dengan masa baharu, 4:12.58.

Penampilan sulung Jeffrey di kejohanan besar antarabangsa merupakan Sukan SEA Jakarta 1987 ketika beliau berusia 15 tahun dan terus memenangi pingat emas dalam acara 400m and 1500m gaya bebas. Beliau merupakan atlet lelaki Malaysia pertama untuk membawa pulang pingat emas dalam acara renang. Jeffrey dinobatkan Olahragawan Harapan pada tahun tersebut sebelum dianugerahkan Olahragawan Kebangsaan di Anugerah Sukan Negara 1988. 

Jeffrey kemudiannya mengulangi kehebatan beliau di Sukan SEA 1989, 1991 dan 1993 dengan menjuarai acara yang sama, 400m dan 1500m gaya bebas. Selain itu, Jeffrey juga merangkul pingat perak dalam acara 200m gaya bebas pada 1991 dan pingat emas dalam acara 400m rampai individu pada tahun 1993, di mana beliau turut mencipta rekod kebangsaan baharu. 

Salah satu kejayaan terbesar Jeffrey adalah di Sukan Dunia Pelajar England 1991, di mana beliau memenangi pingat perak dalam acara 1500m gaya bebas. Kemenangan tersebut mencatat rekod kebangsaan baharu yang masih kekal ke hari ini (15:23.61) dan Jeffrey dinobatkan perenang ke-14 terpantas di dunia. 

Walaupun Jeffrey telah menyertai pelbagai kejohanan, beliau pastinya telah membanggakan Malaysia apabila berenang di dua edisi Sukan Olimpik – Seoul pada 1988 dan Barcelona pada 1992. Pada tahun 2012, beliau diisytiharkan ke Dewan Kemasyhuran Majlis Olimpik Malaysia. 

Kami berharap segala pengorbanan dan pencapaian Jeffrey Ong akan menjadi inspirasi kepada atlet muda untuk generasi kini dan akan datang.

(Kredit foto asal: Dunia Sukan)

//

Today we would like to wish 2x Olympian Jeffrey Ong a happy 51st birthday. 

The legendary swimmer, who was born in Penang, began swimming when he was just a child. Jeffrey broke records as soon as he landed in the water. 

At 13, his time of 4:27.30 broke the tournament’s 400m freestyle record at the South East Asian Inter-Club swimming championships. The following year at the ASEAN  age-group swimming championships, he won and broke the record for the 400m freestyle event there as well with 4:12.58.

Jeffrey made his first major international appearance at the 1987 Jakarta SEA Games while he was only 14 years old – winning gold medals in 400m and 1500m freestyle events. In doing so, he became the first male Malaysian athlete to bring home a gold medal in a swimming event. He became 1987’s Most Promising Sportsman of the Year before being awarded Sportsman of the Year in 1988. 

He then went on to repeat his momentous achievements at the 1989, 1991 and 1993 SEA Games. Additionally, Jeffrey won silver in 200m freestyle in 1991 and gold in 400m individual medley in 1993, where he also set a new national record.

Jeffrey made his biggest splash in 1991 at the World Student Games in England, where he won the silver medal in 1500m freestyle. The victory saw Jeffrey set a new national record, which still stands today at 15:23.61, and declared him to be the 14th fastest swimmer in the world. 

While Jeffrey has participated in various tournaments, he certainly made Malaysia proud by swimming at two editions of the Olympic Games: Seoul in 1988 and Barcelona in 1992. In 2012, he was inducted into the Olympic Council of Malaysia’s Hall of Fame.

We hope that his determination and achievements will inspire young athletes for generations to come.

(Original photo credit: Dunia Sukan)

Leave A Reply

Your email address will not be published.