July 13, 2008

Update by REDintern Danial Azmie. Photos by Danial Azmie and Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports.

Shalom See all smiles after breaking record with 400m victory




Shalom Danielle See (#60) on the finishing stretch. Lim Shanru (#180) came in second. (Photo 1 © Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports)

Choa Chu Kang Stadium, Friday, July 11, 2008 - It was a sweet victory for Shalom Danielle See (#60) of National Junior College as she bid farewell to her other competitors at the tape, clocking a meet record of 58.65 seconds in the A Division Girls 400 Metres race at the 49th Inter-school Track & Field Championships.

Shalom, (whose name, interestingly, also happens to be a traditional Jewish greeting) did not achieve her podium finish without stiff competition however.

Runner-up Lim Shanru (#180) from Hwa Chong Institution briefly led the race, but Shalom See overtook her midway and held on until the finish, despite commendable efforts by both Shanru herself and bronze winner, Ang Peixuan (#30) from Catholic Junior College.

When approached, the affable and chirpy JC2 student remarked, “I did not expect to win! Just before the race, I told myself to try my best, and trusted the race to God.”

When asked of her feelings regarding her record-breaking success, she enthused, “I screamed when I found out about it. I didn’t expect it at all- its a bonus. I’d really like to thank God, my family, my coach Mr Lim Loh Yeo, the team (Masak girls) and IJ girls. Without them, I wouldn’t have dreamt of the win”.

It is a commendable task indeed, for Shalom and most of the A Division Girls in JC2, who would have to make endless sacrifices to juggle both A-Levels and their passion. Despite such hurdles, they have proven to the crowd throughout the Championships that all that and more can be vanquished if the will never lets up.

Congratulations to Shalom!

Final Result:

400 Metres A-Girls
1st - Shalom Danielle See (National Junior College) 00:58.65 (Meet Record)
2nd - Lim Shanru (Hwa Chong Institution) 00:58.88
3rd - Ang Peixuan (Catholic Junior College) 01:01.47




Shalom (in red) with her fellow athletes. (Photo 3 © Danial Azmie)





Shalom See, the new A Division Girls 400m record holder. (Photo 4 © Danial Azmie)

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Clara Poon of Cedar Girls’ breaks record to win C Division girls 400m gold

July 13, 2008

Update by REDintern Danial Azmie. Photos by Danial Azmie and Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports.




Choa Chu Kang Stadium, Friday, July 11, 2008 - Clara Poon Jia Xin of Cedar Girls’ clinched the C Division Girls 400 Metres title with a time of 1 minute 0.48 seconds, almost a second ahead of her nearest rival. More significantly, the time also beat the meet and national C Division Girls record set way back in 1977 by Munirah Alatas, prompting observers to take notice of her blooming talent despite her relatively young age.

She finished the race with such aplomb that we had to get a word or two from her regarding her performance, which she sportingly obliged. When prodded regarding her opinion of the run, the delicately dainty runner remarked: “I was training for the record, and before the race, I thought I could do it.”

She managed to overcome the 61 second barrier which had been her stumbling block all this year and to that she opined: “You have to be strong mentally and I’m grateful to my school for giving us the opportunity to train in Thailand recently. This certainly caused a level of improvement. I’d also like to thank my coaches Qi Jiaorian, Joel Tay and also my parents for the support.”

Indeed, budding athletes like Clara Poon do need all the support they can get in order to achieve their dreams. It is definitely heartening to see support extended by both school and family.

Final Result:

400 Metres C-Girls
1st- Clara Poon Jia Xin (Cedar Girls) 01:00.48 (Event & C-Div Record)
2nd- Nur Hamizah (Singapore Sports School) 01:01.26
3rd -Wendy Enn (Singapore Sports School) 01:01.80

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Update by REDintern Danial Azmie. Photos by Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports.



Choa Chu Kang Stadium, Friday, July 11, 2008 - Ranjitha from Anderson Secondary grabbed the C Division Girls 1500 Metres gold with a commanding lead, 18 seconds ahead of the runner-up, to emerge the undisputed winner of her event.

It was a great photo finish opportunity for the cameras to capture the huge gap between her and the rest, and she herself was shocked at such a margin of victory, "I did not expect to lead by such a margin. It is not often that happens."

When quizzed about her feelings while running, she quipped shyly, "I was scared at first, looking at the competition, but my aim was always to get first".

Such quiet determination reaped rewards for Ranjitha, and we wish her another victory for her next event, the 800m final next Wednesday. Ranjitha is not new to the track scene as well, despite her being in the C Division. She has been running events such as the recent WALA track championships for the past three years.

With this victory, it signals that she can only get better with every run. Good luck!

Final Result:

1500 Metres C-Girls
1st- Ranjitha (Anderson) 05:12.65
2nd- Hannah Lau Sing Hee (Cedar Girls) 05:29.81
3rd- Lee Ying Si Win Sy (Saint Nicholas Girls) 05:30.36









More photos in the gallery.

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Update by REDintern Danial Azmie. Photos by Lai Jun Wei/Red Sports.




Choa Chu Kang Stadium, Friday, July 11, 2008- It was a remarkable conclusion to an almost epic rivalry in the B Division 100 Metres Hurdles as Noreen Herman from the Singapore Sports School brought the anticipating crowd to its feet by rewriting her name once more in the record books.

Noreen thought she had it wrapped and delivered for the Finals when she initially smashed the then-record in the Heats with a time of 00:15.55, but much to her, and all other observers' amazement, fellow favourite Inez Leong Hui Xin (CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’) responded with a virtuoso performance in her own Heats, clocking 00:15.42 to install herself then as the surefire choice for the winners medal.

Indeed, just prior to the race, the stadium was buzzing with excitement over the potential for this race to crack another record, such was the intense rivalry amongst both girls over only a single Gold medal. They had both upped the ante with their performances over the days, and you could almost feel the tension pervading amongst the lanes as the girls strutted nimbly to their starting blocks.

The command "Ke Garisan!" ("On your lines") and then, the sudden "Bang!" rang through the Stadium, and they were off.

As expected, it was neck and neck between both girls , right to the wire, it was always going to be either of the two, and in the end Noreen just pipped her rival by a mere 0.12th of a second to claim Gold. And yes, it was another record, the third in the same event in two weeks. Further checks with the Singapore Amateur Athletic Association records showed that Noreen also broke the National Junior Record, a first for the 49th Inter-School Championships! Here's a quick tête-à-tête with the Winner:

Redsports: Noreen, congratulations on the win. What was going through your mind throughout the race?

Noreen: Thanks! Oh, I was fully focused during the race. I was thinking: I need to stick as close as I can to Inez, and I also wanted to make my Coach proud. At the last part, I pushed myself to my limits, and when I saw her fall back, I saw that as an advantage and opportunity to finish first.

Redsports: Indeed, you clinched it. How confident of you of winning the race? Did you expect to break the record once again?

Noreen: I was quite confident that I could do it. I wanted it really badly, but I wasn't thinking of the record, it was more of getting the first position. I didn't want to aim that far, in case I get disappointed if I didn't reach the goal.


Redsports: How was training for the competition like?

Noreen: (Smiling) It was fun, very fun. We did our routines everyday, there was no letting up. My coach gave support advice and was always positively egging me on, telling me that "You can do it" and that we should concentrate on doing the simple things that can eventually make it better overall.


And it sure made things better, even though Nureen did not participate in last year's 80 Metres C Division Hurdles finals, she more than made it up for it with a maverick performance.

It was double heartbreak though, for Inez, as Goh Weiming, also from the Singapore Sports School, broke her 80 Metres Hurdles record with a new timing of 00:12:52.



Final Result:

100 Metres Hurdles B-Girls
1st- Noreen Herman (Singapore Sports School) 00:15.35 (National Junior Record)
2nd- Inez Leong Hui Xin (CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’) 00:15.47
3rd- Lee Mei En Sarah (Nanyang Girls) 00:16.12


Sarah Lee finished fifth with a time of 13.71s last year in the C Division 80m hurdles.



More photos in the gallery.

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