Maldives’ Meral Sets New National Record in 100m Breaststroke
The Maldives registered another national record in swimming at the 20th Asian Games Aichi–Nagoya 2026, as Meral Ain Latheef delivered a time of 1 minute 22.06 seconds in the women’s 100-metre breaststroke.
Competing at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, Meral finished eighth in a heat featuring nine swimmers. Her performance lowered the previous national record by 1.32 seconds.
The former mark of 1:23.38 was held by Hamna Ahmed, who established the record at the 127th Hungarian National Championships in 2025.
Malaika Linda Imran was also in action for the Maldives, completing the women’s 100-metre backstroke in 1:20.57 in a nine-swimmer heat.
The Maldives later contested the 4x100-metre mixed medley relay with a team comprising Meral, Malaika, Mohamed Rihaan Shihaam and Looth Mohamed Hussain. The quartet completed the race in 4:34.42.
The Maldivian swimming team will return to competition tomorrow in the women’s 50-metre freestyle and men’s 200-metre breaststroke.
