Story by Nicole Lum/Red Sports. Photos by Lim Yong Teck/Red Sports
Wu Aiwei (#141) of Victoria Junior College in action. She clinched the gold medal and set a new meet record with a timing of 17:15.12. (Photo 1 © Lim Yong Teck/Red Sports)
Bukit Gombak Stadium, Monday, April 13, 2015 — Wu Aiwei (#141) of Victoria Junior College (VJC) brought home the girls’ A Division 3000m walk gold medal with a timing of 17 minutes and 15.12 seconds at the 56th National Inter-School Track and Field Championships.
Her timing also smashed the meet record by a whopping 38.25 seconds. The previous record was held by Tin Shu Min of Hwa Chong Institution, set in 2013 when she emerged champion with a time of 17:53.37.
This is the VJC student’s debut in the National Inter-School Championships.
When asked how she felt about her performance, Aiwei (#141) explained, “I only joined the track and field team in October last year. Even though I had already surpassed this record at January’s SAA Track and Field Series 1 by three seconds, it was a surprise that I have improved by such a big jump today.”
Hailing from China, the 20-year-old schoolgirl credited her amazing progress to her coach who had “paid attention regardless of the athlete’s standard and nationality”.
“It was an enriching experience at my first and last Nationals and I’m satisfied and delighted with the result,” she concluded.
Finishing after Aiwei (#141) were Hwa Chong Institution’s (HCI) Natalie Tan (#196) in second place with a time of 17:56.23, and Raffles Institution’s (RI) Chng Shu Yi (#77) who crossed the finish line in 18:10.69 to finish third.
The race saw Aiwei (#141) establish a commanding lead right from the start while the other two maintained a strong, constant pace.
Natalie (#196), who was last year’s bronze medalist, was glad with the result. Her attempt was three seconds short of the record.
“I was expecting a second place and although I was aiming to break the record by a few seconds, I’m still happy with the position.”
“It was great that my teammates did well too and we have our coach and the team to thank for that. I was tiring out halfway into the race but the loud cheers from my team kept me motivated to finish well,” Natalie said. “The Hwa Chong spirit is really something special.”
A Div 3000m Walk (Girls) Results
1st: Wu Aiwei (#141, Victoria Junior College) – 17:15.12
2nd: Natalie Tan Rei Hsi (#196, Hwa Chong Institution) – 17:56.23
3rd: Chng Shu Yi (#77, Raffles Institution) – 18:10.69
4th: Karin Wong Kam Chi (#188, Hwa Chong Institution) – 18:43.33
5th: Hor Wai Yin Dilys (#185, Hwa Chong Institution) – 18.48.80
6th: Clarissa Lai Xinjuan (#79, Raffles Institution) – 19:08.49
7th: Lim Jia Qi (#62, National Junior College) – 19:17.04
8th: Caitlin Celestine Fernandez (#116, Victoria Junior College) – 20:51.91
9th: Yue Shi Min, Grace (#73, National Junior College) – 21:17.40
10th: Tan Yin Lin (#101, Raffles Institution) – 21:20.26
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