By Romaine Soh/Red Sports
Nichole Ho (#64) of NJC was a surprise winner in a time of 5:22.31. (Photo © Richard Seow. Used with permission)
Choa Chu Kang Stadium, Monday, April 8, 2013 — Nichole Ho of National Junior College (NJC) stunned traditional powerhouses Raffles Institution (RI), Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) and Victoria Junior College (VJC) to win the A Division 1,500 metres gold in 5 minutes 22 seconds. She finished just a second ahead of runner-up Ling An of HCI.
Jolene Quek of RI overtook VJC’s Chew Si Min just meters from the finish line, bagging the bronze with a time of 5:24. This is a massive improvement from last year’s A Division race for Jolene, where she finished seventh with a time of 5:33.
As for Nichole, what makes her win all the more stunning is that this is her first ever individual track event. The only time she had ever participated in a long distance event was the National Schools Cross Country Championships, where she placed 18th.
As the gun went off, Ling An recycled last year’s tactic, as she charged into the lead. Close behind was teammate Nicole Lum, who represented Singapore in the 1,000m event at the 2012 SEA Youth Championships.
Jolene decided to take the lead at the 300m mark, unwilling to repeat the same mistake as last year where she had stayed in the back, costing her a decent timing.
The front pack completed the first lap in 86 seconds, on track for a timing of 5:22, the previous year’s A Division bronze medal timing.
As the bell sounded for the last lap, Nichole, who had taken the lead earlier on in the third round, put in a burst which no one was able to react to. Only in the final 200m did Si Min begin to close the gap with Nichole.
The drama unfolded in the home straight as Si Min, Ling An and Jolene were locked in a struggle for a podium finish, and at the same time hoping to catch Nichole in the process. However, Si Min seemed disoriented in the last 50m, which Jolene capitalised on to beat her to the bronze in the final steps to the line.
“I started to get involved in track when my school recruited me for the 4x400m relay team last year,” said Nichole of her history in track.
“After which, my friends persuaded me to join the team, so I’ve only been training for about a year. Thus, this win comes as a real delight!” added Nichole excitedly.
Nichole will feature next in the 800m, in which she has even less expectations.
Nichole commented: “800m requires more speed, so I’ll just aim for the top six!”
A Div 1500m Results
1st Ho Qi Xin Nichole (#64, NJC) — 5:22.31
2nd Ling An (#185, HCI) — 5:23.79
3rd Quek Qian Ying Jolene (#97, RI) — 5:24.30
4th Chew Si Min (#126, VJC) — 5:25.46
5th Yeo Xin Yi (#203, HCI) — 5:26.86
6th Victoria Tan Shi Ying (#101, RI) — 5:31.37
7th Lum An Qi Nicole (#188, HCI) — 5:32.36
8th Abigail Sim E Xuan (#123, VJC) — 5:39.16
9th Tan Wan Xin (#99, RI) — 5:39.30
10th Janine Quek Ziquan (#162, ACJC) — 5:49.73
11th Hoh Wan Ling, Dilys (#116, SJI) — 5:52.97
12th Angeline Wan Hui Ru (#45, CJC) — 5:59.46
13th S Roobini (#17, SRJC) —6:01.95
14th Lau Hui Min Jasmin (#205, JJC) — 6:02.63
15th Elizabeth Tan Li Linn (#27, ACS(I)) —6:09.40
16th Charlotte Tay Hwei Ern (#152, ACJC) — 6:16.56
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