By REDintern Lim Yu-Han
Janielle Lim (#85) of RI on her way to the A Div 800m gold in 2:33.21. Teo Shin Yun (#196) of HCI was second in 2:35.63 while Magdalene Ho (#190), also of HCI, was third 2:36.27. (Photo © Les Tan/Red Sports)
Choa Chu Kang Stadium, Wednesday, April 17, 2013 — Janielle Lim of Raffles Institution (RI) claimed the A Division 800 metres gold at the 54th National Schools Track and Field Championships, finishing in a time of 2 minutes 33.21 seconds. It was her second gold of the championships, after having won the A Division 2,000 metres steeplechase final.
Teo Shin Yun of Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) finished second in 2:35.63 while her teammate Magdalene Ho was third in 2:36.27. The A Division 800m record is 2:18.93 and was set by Rahmah Begum, then of Jurong Junior College, in 1999.
Shin Yun and Magdalene took the lead for the first 200m, with Chew Si Min of Victoria Junior College (VJC) moving up gradually to join the duo in the first lap. Nearing the 390m mark, RI’s Mary-Lisa sped up suddenly to overtake the HCI runners, clocking 1:19 for the first round.
According to RI’s Janielle, this was a deciding factor for her win as she complimented teammate Mary-Lisa. “Thank God for Mary’s brave move to overtake at first, and I followed subsequently.”
There was a 10m gulf between Mary-Lisa and the pack for the next 200m, until Janielle blazed past her at the 600m mark with a quick burst. Nichole Ho of NJC followed closely behind once she saw Janielle moving up round the bend.
With 100m left, the HCI duo of Shin Yun and Magdalene gave an all-out sprint to finish second and third respectively. Janielle finished strongly in 2:33.21, about 10m ahead of the others.
A beaming Janielle said: “I was up against sprinters for this event, so I had to start fast. However, I got boxed out in the first round till Mary moved and I just followed.”
“Throughout the race, my coach’s words ‘Stay fast and relaxed’ resounded in my head. I want to thank God, Mr Quek and Mr Tay for this victory,” Janielle added gratefully.
HCI’s Shin Yun, who grabbed the silver, was very contented with her race. “I am actually very happy with the results of the race as I was hoping to get an individual medal. Furthermore, my teammate Mag finished on the podium with me too!”
This is Shin Yun’s first ever individual medal over these six years of racing, and it is especially precious for her because, as a Year 2 student, this is probably her final year of racing in the A Division.
A Div 3000m Results
1st Janielle Lim Yan Han (#85, RI) — 02:33.21
2nd Teo Shin Yun (#196, HCI) — 02:35.63
3rd Magdalene Ho Yan Yoong (#190, HCI) — 02:36.27
4th Ho Qi Xin Nichole (#64, NJC) — 02:37.56
5th Chew Si Min (#126, VJC) — 02:38.33
6th Mary-Lisa Zhi-Hui Chua (#92, RI) — 02:38.70
7th Lum An Qi Nicole (#188, HCI) — 02:39.83
8th Sim Yi Shien (#69, NJC) — 02:41.02
9th Jolie Ho Pui Yi (#204, JJC) — 02:41.09
10th Elisa Djuhar (#82, RI) — 02:42.98
11th Corrina Tan Li Ying (#154, ACJC) — 02:45.77
12th Tiong Jia En (#143, VJC) — 02:48.91
13th Su Lanjia (#173, ACJC) — 02:49.97
14th Sheryl Goh (#55, CJC) — 02:55.48
15th Li Chenyang (#209, NUSHS) — 03:06.42
Nicholas Sean Olivia (#138, VJC) — WDL
For more photos, go to: Red Sports Images
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