Wan Azlan

{{Short description|Malaysian swimmer (born 1975)}}

{{EngvarB|date=September 2014}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2014}}

{{Malay name|Azlan|Wan Ali Abdullah|note=on}}

{{Infobox swimmer

| name = Wan Azlan

| image =

| image_size =

| caption =

| birth_name = Wan Azlan bin Wan Ali Abdullah

| nicknames =

| national_team = {{MAS}}

| strokes = Freestyle, medley

| club = Pine Crest Swim Club (U.S.)

| coach = David López-Zubero (U.S.)

| collegeteam = University of Georgia (U.S.)

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1975|6|5|df=y}}

| birth_place =

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height = {{height|m=1.88|abbr=on}}

| weight = {{convert|77|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}}

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalSport | Men's swimming}}

{{MedalCountry | Malaysia}}

{{MedalCompetition|Southeast Asian Games}}

{{MedalGold| 1997 Jakarta | 200 m medley}}

{{MedalGold| 1997 Jakarta | 400 m medley}}

{{MedalBronze| 1995 Chiang Mai | 400 m medley}}

}}

Wan Azlan bin Wan Ali Abdullah (professionally known as Wan Azlan Abdullah; born 5 June 1975) is a retired Malaysian swimmer, who specialised in freestyle and in individual medley events.{{cite sports-reference|title = Wan Azlan Abdullah|url = https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ab/wan-azlan-abdullah-1.html|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200418110818/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ab/wan-azlan-abdullah-1.html|url-status = dead|archive-date = 18 April 2020|access-date = 10 June 2013}} He is a two-time Olympian (1996 and 2000), and a gold medalist at the Southeast Asian Games (1997). While studying in the United States, Abdullah trained for the Pine Crest Swim Club in Fort Lauderdale, Florida under his full-time coach David López-Zubero, a bronze medalist for Spain at the 1980 Summer Olympics.{{cite news|last=Megan|first=M.K|title=Wan Azlan caught in a dilemma|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1309&dat=19930205&id=vCJOAAAAIBAJ&pg=4008,1547234|publisher=New Straits Times|date=5 February 1993|accessdate=8 June 2013}} During his college career, Abdullah swam for the University of Georgia's Georgia Bulldogs swimming and diving team under head coach Jack Bauerle.{{cite news|last=Murphy|first=Bill|title=After years of practice, swimmers' dreams come true|url=http://www.redandblack.com/sports/after-years-of-practice-swimmers-dreams-come-true/article_74cf1b36-3a3f-5ff1-aa45-e5d2a29d060b.html?mode=jqm|publisher=The Red and Black|date=15 September 2000|accessdate=12 June 2013}}

Abdullah made his first Malaysian team at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. There, he failed to reach the top 16 final in any of his individual events, finishing thirty-sixth in the 200 m individual medley (2:12.11), and twenty-seventh in the 400 m individual medley (4:38.95, a slowest prelims time).{{cite web|title=Atlanta 1996: Aquatics (Swimming) – Men's 200m Individual Medley Heat 1|url=http://la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1996/1996v3p1.pdf|work=Atlanta 1996|publisher=LA84 Foundation|page=48|accessdate=28 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110523164915/http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1996/1996v3p1.pdf|archive-date=23 May 2011|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|title=Atlanta 1996: Aquatics (Swimming) – Men's 400m Individual Medley Heat 1|url=http://la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1996/1996v3p1.pdf|work=Atlanta 1996|publisher=LA84 Foundation|page=50|accessdate=28 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110523164915/http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1996/1996v3p1.pdf|archive-date=23 May 2011|url-status=dead}} He also placed twentieth, along with his Malaysian teammates Alex Lim, Elvin Chia, and Anthony Ang, in the 4×100 m medley relay (3:56.24).{{cite web|title=Atlanta 1996: Aquatics (Swimming) – Men's 4×100m Medley Relay Heat 1|url=http://la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1996/1996v3p1.pdf|work=Atlanta 1996|publisher=LA84 Foundation|page=52|accessdate=28 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110523164915/http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1996/1996v3p1.pdf|archive-date=23 May 2011|url-status=dead}}

The following year, at the 1997 Southeast Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, Abdullah won two gold medals each in the 200 m individual medley (2:07.80), and in the 400 m individual medley (4:32.75).{{cite news|title=Ian misses out on final but breaks 13-year-old national record|url=http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?sec=commonwealth&file=/2010/10/9/commonwealth/7195061|publisher=The Star (Malaysia)|date=9 October 2010|accessdate=8 June 2013}}{{cite news|title=OCM/NSC should monitor US-based swimmers|url=http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/SpecialCoverage/Sydney2000/index.asp?dt=20000924&sec=News&pg=ne_08.htm|publisher=Utusan Malaysia|date=23 September 2000|accessdate=10 June 2013}}

Abdullah swam only in the men's 400 m individual medley at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. He achieved a FINA B-cut of 4:34.50 from the Asian Swimming Championships in Busan, South Korea.{{cite web|title=Swimming – Men's 400m Individual Medley Startlist (Heat 2)|url=http://www.omegatiming.com/File/Download?id=000100060022000000FFFFFFFFFFFF00|format=PDF|work=Sydney 2000|publisher=Omega Timing|accessdate=23 April 2013}} He challenged seven other swimmers in heat two, including 1996 Olympic silver medalist Jani Sievinen of Finland, and 16-year-old George Bovell of Trinidad and Tobago. Abdullah posted a time of 4:36.90 to save a seventh spot over Croatia's Sandro Tomaš by a 1.4-second advantage. Abdullah failed to reach the top 8 final, as he placed forty-first overall in the prelims.{{cite web|title=Sydney 2000: Swimming – Men's 400m Individual Medley Heat 2|url=http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/2000/Masters/sw/SWresults.pdf|work=Sydney 2000|publisher=LA84 Foundation|page=316|accessdate=26 March 2013}}{{cite news|title=Dolan breaks own world mark in 400 IM|url=http://www.canoe.ca/2000GamesSwimming/sep17_dol.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130616043443/http://www.canoe.ca/2000GamesSwimming/sep17_dol.html|url-status=usurped|archive-date=16 June 2013|publisher=Canoe.ca|date=17 September 2000|accessdate=28 May 2013}}{{cite news|title=Allen Ong rewrites 200m freestyle national record|url=http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/SpecialCoverage/Sydney2000/index.asp?dt=20000918&sec=news&pg=ne_09.htm|publisher=Utusan Malaysia|date=17 September 2000|accessdate=10 June 2013}}