Four outstanding swimmers from Penang chosen to train with Ben Proud in Phuket in September 2017

PENANG, 3 May 2017

AirAsia brought together 60 aspiring swimmers ranging from 11 - 15 years old for the AirAsia Presents Ben Proud's Talent Pool coaching clinic in Penang last Saturday. The young swimmers took part in an intensive one-day training experience with top coaches, featuring former Olympian Antony James, and Commonwealth Games finalist Steven Beckerleg.

The swim clinic is part of the annual Talent Pool coaching clinic programme in a partnership between AirAsia and British Olympic swimmer, Ben Proud. The northern region swim clinic marks the second session following the launch of the initiative which took place earlier in February featuring swimmers from the Klang Valley alongside the Olympic athlete.

During the coaching clinic, Toh Ting Wei, 15 years old from Penang Swimming Club (PSC); Caroline Lim Shi Chyi, 11 years old from Penang Swimming Club (PSC); Lau Ting Quan, 14 years old from Kingfisher Swim Team (KST); and Jess Lee Yen Yi, 14 years old from Trident Swim Team (TST) were selected for an exclusive training with Ben Proud in Phuket later in the year.

Rudy Khaw, Regional Head of Branding for AirAsia said, "We are excited to make our way to Penang for our second round of clinics to discover the next swimming powerhouse of tomorrow. It was great to see so many of these budding swimmers take their first step towards their dreams and discover their capabilities to strive better and go beyond.

"There are indeed many talents out there that have yet to be unearthed and we are happy to play a role in the sports community by providing a platform that offers a professional training opportunity with coaches of international standards to inspire youth at the grassroots level. I would like to congratulate the winners on the opportunity to train with Ben Proud himself in Phuket - this will surely be a priceless experience that they will never forget."

Antony James, Ben Proud's Talent Pool Head Coach said, "We were very excited to bring the Talent Pool concept to Penang. We are passionate about developing talent within the swimming community in region and feel honoured to be working with so many keen, enthusiastic children. It was hard to choose four winners but those selected where chosen for their enthusiasm and willingness to learn as well as their ability. These lucky four will go on to meet Ben and have further development within in Phuket. We hope we've inspired all of the children to be the best they can be going forward."

The professional training from the swim clinic spanned across two sessions, which included classroom lessons focusing on sports psychology and a pool session providing training on the tactical aspects of competitive swimming.

The Talent Pool is part of AirAsia's #DARETODREAM sports campaign that aims to grow the sports scene and nurture young talents from all levels across the Asean region. Set to be a four-year programme, the initiative will make its way to other cities in the region to meet up-and-coming Asean swimmers.

Ben Proud will make up among the AirAsia athletes line-up under the #DARETODREAM campaign alongside national prides including track cyclists Azizulhasni Awang and Fatehah Mustapa as well as diver Leong Mun Yee. AirAsia is also working with promising bodybuilder athlete Faiz Ariffin and go-kart driver Muizzuddin Musyaffa, sponsorships of the AirAsia Malaysia Rugby League and AirAsia KL Junior League, with more plans for the campaign in the pipeline.

Follow AirAsia's Dream journey through the hashtag #daretodream or the latest AirAsia news and activities on Twitter (twitter.com/AirAsia) and Facebook (facebook.com/AirAsia).