Ali Thameem
Mohamed Aan Hussain and Hamna Ahmed have claimed a total of nine new short course national records in Hungary.
Three of the the six national records Aan broke in Hungary are freestyle; 50m, 100m and 200m, and all three of Hamna’s records are in breaststroke heats.
The latest of Aan’s heats – the 100m individual medley – the national record of which was previously kept by Mubal Azzam (01:04.51). Aan claimed it this Saturday at Hungary’s Short Track National Championship, completing the heat in 01:04.19.
The 100m short course national record in freestyle – which Aan renewed (00:54.89) in Hungary’s Buda Cup weeks prior – had not been renewed in 8 years, since Nishwan Ibrahim broke it (00:56.25) in Canada during the FINA World Championships 2016.
The 50m freestyle record, which he just renewed by 00:23.79, had been held by Aan himself for three years. He had claimed the record when he was 17, in Abu Dhabi back in the 2021 FINA World Championships, which he completed in precisely 25 seconds on the clock. Aan had renewed it weeks ago by 00:24.29, competing in the Buda Cup.
This means since he broke the 50m freestyle record for the first time, Aan has now shortened the lapsed time by almost one-and-a-quarter seconds.
Three of the records recently broken by Aan – 200m freestyle, 50m butterfly and 50m backstroke – all were most recently claimed by teenager Rihan Shiham.
The 50m butterfly national record, which was held by Rihan (00:26.98) since April, was snatched by Aan last Friday (00:26.67). Aan initially claimed the record in Madagascar back in last year’s IOIG.
Hamna Adds Three More
In her time in Hungary, Hamna Ahmed has broken short course national records in three different breaststroke events. In the span of weeks, the 21-year-old claimed the 50m, 100m and 200m records in the respective heats.
In Hajos Alfred Kupa, which took place in September, Hamna completed the 50m breaststroke event in 00:37.13 seconds, breaking her own national record, claimed on her previous trip to Hungary back in December 2023.
In Saturday’s 100m breaststroke event of Hungary’s Short Track National Championship, Hamna finished the race in 01:22.65, strengthening the national record she first broke a month ago at the Aflred Kupa. Hamna had clocked 01:23.76 at the time, breaking the record held for four years by Aishath Sajina.
In Friday’s 200m breaststroke event of the Short Track National Championship, Hamna broke another record when she reached the finish line with 03:00.53 on the clock.
Hamna’s newest record is an improvement of almost 9 seconds from the previous one, which, just as the 100m breaststroke record, was held by Aishath Sajina since South Asian Games 2019.
In addition to her three new national records, Hamna is also the record holder in long course 200m backstroke, which she first claimed in Japan’s Fuokaka last year, representing Maldives at the World Aquatics Championship. She renewed that record months later in Malaysia back in April this year.
