By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Xiandi Chua showed her readiness for the upcoming Southeast Asian Games after shattering her own national record at the 2025 Australia Short Course Championships on Thursday evening, Oct. 2.
The 24-year-old Chua clocked 4 minutes and 43.19 seconds to finish second in the women’s 13-and-above 400-meter individual medley, eclipsing her previous best of 4:43.85 she set last December at the World Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Hungary.
She finished behind 17-year-old local bet Amelie Smith, who topped the race in 4:36.67. Dakoda Matthers, 20, came in third with 4:49.30.
Chua is expected to banner the country’s campaign in the upcoming SEA Games set in Thailand this December after steering the squad to two gold, six silver and eight bronze medals in the 2023 edition held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
In that biennial event, Chua clinched the gold medal in record-breaking fashion, resetting the national and Games record in the women’s 200m backstroke.
She also won the 400m IM bronze, and was part of the women’s 4x100m freestyle relay team that won the silver, as well as the women’s 4x200m free relay squad that won the bronze.
