A Div 200m (Boys): Jawhardeen of Ahmad Ibrahim takes gold in 21.83s; misses record by 0.08s

By Tay Jun Wen/Red Sports

V S Mohamed Jawhardeen (#2) of Ahmad Ibrahim roars to victory in the A Div 200m final, clocking 21.83s. Ezra Toh (#154) of RI was second in 22.47 while Clement Chan (#239) of ACJC was third in 22.69. (Photo © Les Tan/Red Sports)

Choa Chu Kang Sports Complex, Monday, April 15, 2013 — In the A Division Boys’ 200 metres final at the 54th National Inter-School Track and Field Championships, V S Mohamed Jawhardeen of Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary was first in a new personal best time of 21.83 seconds, just 0.09s shy of the record.

The A Division 200m record of 21.74s was set in 2012 by Donovan Chan Zhiyuan, then of Hwa Chong Institution.

Ezra Toh of Raffles Institution was second in 22.47s while Clement Chan of Anglo-Chinese Junior College finished third, clocking 22.69s.

Jawhardeen established a strong lead right from the start and his rivals never came close to catching up.

This is the first national schools track medal for the 18-year-old, who is taking his O Levels this year.

“They were great competitors. I had great coaches, friends and family,” said Jawhardeen.

He also said that his training partners played an important role in helping him. Joining him in training were Rey Han and Ray Ding Chao, both of whom have graduated from Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary.

“I trained hard for this. I was nervous and ran like how I was running the heats. I cleared my mind and focused on the race. I thought that my competitors were holding back during the semi-finals since all of them have track experience so that made me worry a little,” said Jawhardeen.

However, Jawhardeen believes that he is not at his peak yet. “I’ll have to work on my technique, form and my pushing forward. I have been training for three years now.”

Jawhardeen’s personal aim is to cut down from 22s to 21s for the 200m category, and to hit a sub-11s in the 100m category.

Ezra Toh of RI also set a new personal best. “I tried my best to stay ahead but I just could not open up my strides. I’m glad to run with somebody who got close to the record,” said Ezra.

Despite being nervous at the beginning since it was his first year in track, Clement Chan of ACJC still earned his first medal. “I started slow and there was a gap between me and the runners on the outer lane,” said Clement.

When asked about Jawhardeen’s performance, Clement exclaimed: “I expected him to be fast but not that fast!”

A Division Boys 200m Results
1st V S Mohamed Jawhardeen (Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary, #2) — 00:21.83
2nd Toh Ren Yi Ezra (Raffles Institution, #154) — 00:22.47
3rd Clement Chan Zi Yang (Anglo-Chinese Junior College, #239) — 00:22.69
4th Zubin Percy Muncherji (Anglo-Chinese Junior College, #261) — 00:22.76
5th Prince Leleon Lau (Victoria Junior College, #222) — 00:22.91
6th Poh Zhi Kang Shawn (Tampines Junior College, #198) — 00:23.15
7th Chua Heng Quan (Catholic Junior College, #85) — 00:23.41
8th Jasvinder Singh (Anderson Junior College, #5) — 00:23.78