Story by Colin Tung/Red Sports.
Zachary Devaraj missed his heat after a botched first test for H1N1 resulted in delays. (Photo 1 © Les Tan/Red Sports)
Bishan Stadium, Wednesday, July 1, 2009 – Zachary Devaraj, 14, found his Asian Youth Games dream turn into a nightmare when he missed his 800m heat this afternoon after a botched test for H1N1 delayed his release from isolation at the Games Village.
After his 6th place finish in the 1500m final yesterday, Devaraj was eager to return to Bishan Stadium today to give a good performance in the 800m heats.
Alas, when the runners for Heat 2 lined up on the track, Zachary’s lanky figure was not there. He was stuck in the comfort of Swissotel, but that was the last place he wanted to be in.
Zachary was put in isolation at the Games Village after he said he had a runny nose and wanted to check that if he took Panadol, he would not be infringing doping regulations. That resulted in him getting sent to the team doctor and a H1N1 test ordered, triggering the isolation.
He did not have a fever and he said his temperature was in the 36-degree Celsius range.
“My temperature stayed at the 36-degree Celsius range the whole time. I never developed a fever,” Zachary revealed.
Zachary confirmed that an oral swab was taken from him at 10pm last night and he went to sleep thinking he would still run. When he woke up, he found that they needed another swab because the first sample was not suitable for the test. That meant a whole 12 hours was wasted.
This was confirmed by his coach Loh Chan Pew.
“Zachary was quarantined at 10pm last night. They took an oral swab from him (for the H1N1 test) but at 10am this morning, they came back to tell us that the swab was unsuccessful and had to take another one,” said Loh.
And so, Zachary’s agony was prolonged and the second test results were expected at 2pm, according to Zachary’s father, Simon Devaraj.
“Then they only confirmed that his test results were negative at 5pm,” Loh continued.
“After that, his father drove us down (to the stadium). You should have seen how he drove. We almost got into accidents along the way. You can see how eager the father wanted his son to run and how upset the boy was,” Loh added.
Zachary’s 800m heat was slated for 4:47pm according to the schedule but they eventually missed the heat. There were three heats in all.
“I knew I wasn’t going to run when 4.30pm came. I’m quite sad,” said Zachary.
Zachary has a history of sinus and tends to self-medicate with Panadol. He never thought his innocent question to an innocuous ailment would lead to him missing the 800m – his pet event.
Zachary had just set a personal best time of 2:01.04 in the 800m at the Western Australia Little Athletics Association (WALAA) track and field meet in Kuala Lumpur this past weekend. If he had competed, he would have won his heat based on his PB time.
Said Loh, “We already told them (the health authorities) that he had a race in the afternoon and if they had labelled his test ‘urgent’, this could have been avoided.”
Training mates Vanzino Lee and Ng Chin Hui were so excited to see Zachary run that they took a cab down after school to catch the race.
“We came all the way and were surprised we didn’t see him,” said Vanzino.
“If he did his PB, he would be first in his heat,” said Chin Hui.
Simon Devaraj received a call from his son last night and was extremely upset that he could not see his son for the 18 hours that Zachary spent in isolation, especially since Zachary was not under any specific quarantine order from the Ministry of Health.
“Why did the results not come back (on time)?” lamented Simon on the delay of the second result.
“At 4.30pm, I decided nothing was going to happen. I called him (Zachary) and told him that it (the race) was not going to happen. I thought I heard him weeping. I had to go up to grab him. I got hold of a special pass and went up to get him.”
When he got home, Simon admitted he broke down and cried. His eyes were already teary outside Bishan Stadium when he got there too late for his son to run.
“I just want my son to run,” he said.
Related Post:
SAYGOC medical statement on Zachary Ryan Devaraj
Zachary’s training and school mates came to watch him run but were disappointed when he didn’t show up. From left to right: Vanzino Lee, Zachary Devaraj, Ng Chin Hui. (Photo 2 © Les Tan/Red Sports)
Good luck for next year’s YOG.
botched is a right word. to be more severe, screwed up would be apt.
Zachary! The medical authorities may have made a mistake. But you still have the YOG next year. Don’t give up. As for the Singapore authorities, it’s about time they really wake up. They just let a potential medallist not run all because he wanted to know whether he was infringing doping rules if he took Panadol. This is TOTALLY ABSURD.
Hey Leon,
In what way do you think it is inapt?
According to Collins Gem English Dictionary, to ‘botch’ means to ‘spoil through clumsiness’.
It seems to me that in this case, by not ensuring Zach’s first test was successful by taking multiple swabs or ensuring his only swab didn’t dry up when morning came, and by making him wait 18h for his test results and causing him to miss his race, the medical authorities have done exactly that.
Would you suggest perhaps a more appropriate word?
hmm, i think the word ‘botched’ is an inapt word to use, is it not?
I re-read this story a few times and each time my heart breaks a little more. After reading his dad’s comment in the other post, I almost wished that the Games never have happened to start with.
First up, I’m very surprised that the Games doctor just sent a 14-year-old boy on quarantine and took a swab test without informing his parents or to understand the medical history of the patient.
A swab test for sinus symptoms is paranoia or unnecessary at best – surely the med people are more professional to make a better judgment than to send everyone with a runny nose for a swab test?
And surely by the next morning – even with the botched result – Zachary would be pretty much sinus-free when they had to re-take his swab test, then on what basis did they get him to take it?
While 19 hours for a swab test is definitely unacceptable – but it is the total disregard and neglect of what matters to a competing youth athlete that has disgusted me most.
This just reminds me of the lack of significance of being a national athlete in Singapore, and no wonder there is a lack of local athletes turning professional.
It is not about giving this boy preferential treatment as to respecting what his race meant to him. How did they miss that?
There are too many inconsistencies in how the Games is run – 2 table tennis boys were also sent out of their match on the same morning they were suspected to have been in contact with a H1N1 confirmed case – their matches were delayed for 8 hours until they were cleared.
Why can’t Zachary’s race be handled in similar manner? Where is that urgency/desperation to make the race happen for this boy?
We are after all the host of the Games, perhaps a lack of experience or manpower or a combination of both, but how did the organisers get so caught up with ensuring the “smooth-running” of the Games and neglected the only people that matter: the youths.
Isn’t the theme of the Games – ‘Asia’s Youth, Our Future’? – and it feels to me like the Games has already completely derailed. So why go on.