Lionel Khoo breaks record as ACS(I) see off RI to win B and C Division swimming titles

By Koh Yizhe/Red Sports

Singapore Sports School, Wednesday, April 28, 2010 - Lionel Khoo of Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) broke the B Division 100m breaststroke record as ACS(I) retained both the B and C Division titles at the 51st National Inter-School Swimming Championships.

In the B Division boys category, ACS(I) finished first with 191 points, ahead of Raffles Institution (RI) with 154. Singapore Sports School were third with 84 points.

ACS(I) came into the day two points behind RI , but led by Lionel Khoo's record-breaking performance in the 100m breaststroke, a one-two finish in the 100m freestyle and a superb swim by the ACS(I) 4x50m freestyle relay team, they easily overtook RI to claim the B Division title.

RI, in contrast, only managed two podium finishes on the final day of competition. Ng Tze Yang took home bronze in the 100m backstroke while their quartet finished second in the 4x50m freestyle relay.

15-year-old Lionel had already broken the 100m breaststroke meet record in the heats with a time of 1:05:29 last Friday and he was looking to break it for the second time in a week. In the final, he led from start to finish, turning after 30.78 seconds and finishing strongly for a record-breaking time of 1:04:47.

Ren Guan Ji, who broke the 200m IM record yesterday, finished second in 1:06.97, while Lionel's teammate Darrin Lam settled for third in 1:09.14.

"I am feeling rather normal right now," said Lionel after this race. "I was actually aiming for 1:03 minutes so it'll be back to training for me. But I am quite satisfied as now my B Division record time is faster than the A Division record."

"The field was good and pushed me forward," commented Lionel on his competitors. "I don't think I would be able to break the record if not for them. I hope ACS(I) will be able to retain the title this year."

A one-two finish by the ACS(I) pair of Aaron Yeo and Nicholas Ho in the 100m freestyle final also helped their side clinch the B Division title. Aaron finished in 53.59 to take gold while Nicholas clocked a time of 53.60 for silver. Third place went to Jonathan Poh of Singapore Sports School with a time of 54.42.

In the 4x50m freestyle relay, the ACS(I) quartet of Nicholas Ho, Eugene Tan, Lionel Khoo and Aaron Yeo sealed the title after winning a nail-biting final. Going into the last leg, ACS(I), Raffles Institution and Sports School were neck-and-neck, but Aaron Yeo of ACS(I) sprinted away to break the meet record by 0.03 seconds with a time of 1:37.72. Raffles Institution were second in 1:39.02 while Sports School were just behind with a time of 1:39.28.

Rainer Ng of RI followed up on his record-breaking performance the previous day when he smashed his own A Division boys' 100m backstroke meet record by over a second with a time of 58.16 seconds. His teammates Mark Chong (1:01.98) and Bertrand Ong (1:02.04) finished in second and third place.

"The previous meet record belonged to me so I was hoping to improve this year," said Rainer after his race. "And I managed to cut it down by a second. After I set a personal best (PB) in first leg of the 4x50m medley relay yesterday, I wanted to do my best in this race and see what I can achieve."

"I think for now, my time isn't too bad. Hopefully I can do better as I go on. Overall, I am quite satisfied with my timings at this meet. All of them are close to my personal best," added Rainer who is also in the Youth Olympic Games training squad.

"Right now, I'll have to do my best to qualify for the Games. After that, I'll just aim for my PB and see where it gets me. It's a little early to think about medals now," said Rainer.

The RI trio of Kenneth Lim, Ng Jia Hao and Leow Zhi Heng also helped their school claim the A Division boys' category when they did a sweep of the podium in the 100m breaststroke. Kenneth Lim took gold with a time of 1:05.81 while Ng Jia Hao finished in second spot in 1:07.36. Leow Zhi Heng took third in 1:09.06.

RI eventually finished with 227 points in the A Division, sealing their victory with a first-place finish in the 4x50m freestyle relay with a time of 1:37.54. RI finished more than 100 points ahead of second-placed Anglo-Chinese Junior College who had 120 points. ACS(I) finished in third with 118.

Final scores
A Division Boys
1 Raffles Institution – 227
2 Anglo Chinese Junior College -120
3 Anglo Chinese Sch Independent – 118
4 Temasek Junior College – 24
5 Catholic Junior College – 15
6 Victoria Junior College – 6
Total 510.00

B Division Boys
1 Anglo Chinese Sch Independent – 191
2 Raffles Institution – 154
3 Singapore Sports School – 84
4 Anglo Chinese School Barker Rd – 38
5 Outram Sec School – 21
6 St Andrew’s Secondary School – 9
7 Maris Stella High School – 7
8 St Joseph’s Institution – 6
9 Catholic High School – 3
10 First Toa Payoh Secondary School – 2
11 Yusof Ishak Secondary School – 1
11 Bedok Green Secondary School – 1
Total 517.00

C Division Boys
1 Anglo Chinese School Independent – 140
2 Singapore Sports School – 124.50
3 Raffles Institution – 120
4 Catholic High School – 23.50
5 St Joseph’s Institution – 15
6 West Spring Sec School – 13
7 Anglo Chinese School Barker Rd – 12
7 National Junior College – 12
9 Westwood Secondary School – 8
10 Maris Stella High School – 5
11 Anglo Chinese School International – 4
12 Outram Secondary School – 2
13 St Andrew’s Secondary School – 1
Total 480.00

A Division Girls
1 Raffles Institution – 269
2 Anglo Chinese Junior College – 152
3 Temasek Junior College – 44
4 Victoria Junior College – 31
5 Anglo Chinese Sch Independent – 24
6 Catholic Junior College – 10
7 River Valley High – 7
8 Woodgrove Secondary School – 6
9 Yishun Junior College – 5
Total 548.00

B Division Girls
1 Raffles Girls’ School – 164
2 Methodist Girls’ School – 151
3 Singapore Sports School – 100
4 CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’ School – 58
5 Nanyang Girls’ High School – 29
6 Anglo Chinese School International – 12
7 St Hilda’s Secondary School – 8
8 Singapore Chinese Girls’ School – 6
8 Paya Lebar Meth Girls School – 6
10 Cedar Girls’ Sec School – 4
10 NUS High School – 4
10 CHIJ St Joseph’s Convent – 4
13 CHIJ Katong Convent – 3
14 Yio Chu Kang Sec School – 2
Total 551.00

C Division Girls
1 Raffles Girls’ School – 169
2 Methodist Girls’ School – 110
3 Singapore Chinese Girls’ School – 70
4 Singapore Sports School – 47
5 CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’ School – 46
6 Peirce Sec School – 8
7 CHIJ St Joseph’s Convent – 7
7 CHIJ Secondary Toa Payoh – 7
9 Queensway Secondary School – 4
10 Broadrick Secondary School – 3
10 Nanyang Girls’ High School – 3
12 Dunman High School – 2
13 St Margaret’s Secondary School – 1
Total 477.00

For more photos go to next page