Story by Dylan Chua and Ryan Lim/Red Sports. Photos by Soh Jun Wei and Chua Kai Yun/Red Sports
Ashley Lim receives the Most Valuable Swimmer award after winning a total of 12 gold medals at the 47th Singapore National Age Group Swimming Championships. She also broke five meet records. (Photo 1 © Soh Jun Wei/Red Sports)
OCBC Aquatic Centre, Sunday, March 13, 2016 — With 12 gold medals and five meet records to her name, Ashley Lim, 11, was crowned the Most Valuable Swimmer for junior girls for the second straight year at the Singapura Finance 47th Singapore National Age Group Swimming Championships.
She was delighted to retain the honour she first won in 2015. “I am very happy as I wasn’t really expecting to get it,” she said.
Ashley won five more events on day 3, smashing the 200m butterfly and 100m freestyle records along the way.
She started the day on a positive note, touching home in 2 minutes 36.94 seconds to shatter Yeo Chiok Sze’s year-old 200m butterfly record by a staggering 12.53 seconds.
She then added wins in the 100m and 200m freestyle, as well as the 50m and 100m backstroke to her name.
The Nanyang Primary student broke Alethea Toh’s seven-year-old record in the 100m freestyle in her final event of the meet, winning in a time of 1:04.03. With her last victory, Ashley ensured she won all 12 events she took part in at the championships.
When quizzed about setting the 100m freestyle record, she commented, “I am actually quite glad because in the last event I managed to break the record.”
More impressively, Ashley, has won all 36 events she has taken part in at SNAG since her 2013 debut.
The confident and articulate young lady had many to thank for her strong showing at the meet. She said, “It has been a good meet. I am very grateful to God for giving me supportive parents, a good coach, and strength to last these three days. I was really tired because I had many events and some of them were back-to-back. I will rest a few days before going back to training, because I still have another event on Wednesday.”
Apart from the records broken by Ashley, five more junior girls records were broken on day 3.
Lynette Some, 9, and Melanie Chong, 10, broke the 50m breaststroke records for their respective age groups. Chen Xing Tong, 8, smashed the 100m backstroke record while Clydi Chan, 12, set a new meet record in the 100m freestyle.
Lynette, who also broke the record for 50m backstroke on the day, was Ashley’s closest competitor in the individual medal tally standings, with five golds and three record-breaking performances.
In total, the girls broke 13 meet records over the three days of events.
The Championships will continue with the seniors on Wednesday, March 16. Several national swimmers will be aiming to join Joseph Schooling and Quah Zheng Wen at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The two swimmers are the only locals so far to have dipped under the Olympic ‘A’ qualification timing.
Girls results – Day 3 (Morning Session)
Girls 11 year olds 200m butterfly
1st Ashley Lim – 2:36.94 (Meet Record)
2nd Tricia Yau – 2:45.36
3rd Jessiree Kwok – 2:45.42
Girls 12 year olds 200m butterfly
1st Rae Low – 2:39.58
2nd Tan Shang-Eve – 2:44.05
3rd Yeo Chiok Sze – 2:48.89
Girls 8 year olds 50m backstroke
1st Chen Xing Tong – 43.19s
2nd Ye Qin Wen – 45.87s
3rd Muse Goh – 49.43s
Girls 9 year olds 50m backstroke
1st Lynette Some – 38.66s (Meet record)
2nd Ni Putu Pande Primasari – 39.65s
3rd Jobey Koh – 41.90s
Girls 10 year olds 50m backstroke
1st Athena Chang – 36.55s
2nd Naomi Ong – 36.90s
3rd Scarlett Nichol – 37.31s
Girls 11 year olds 50m backstroke
1st Ashley Lim – 35.90s
2nd Clarissa Kwa – 36.45s
3rd Kwok Sin Yu – 36.79s
Girls 12 year olds 50m backstroke
1st Pedersen Elena Lee Lee Na – 32.51s
2nd Charla Tan – 34.01s
3rd Carmen Weiler – 34.28s
Girls 9 year olds 200m freestyle
1st Ni Putu Pande Primasari – 2:42.12
2nd Jobey Koh – 2:47.33
3rd R’Yen Ong – 2:58.92
Girls 10 year olds 200m freestyle
1st Athena Chang – 2:31.58
2nd Naomi Ong – 2:32.96
3rd Lauren Ting – 2:38.89
Girls 11 year olds 200m freestyle
1st Ashley Lim – 2:18.01
2nd Avril Lim – 2:27.78
3rd Dhami Palak Dhami – 2:29.96
Girls 12 year olds 200m freestyle
1st Clydi Chan – 2:16.15
2nd Regina Sanchez Pulido – 2:19.10
3rd Carmen Weiler – 2:20.86
Girls results – Day 3 (Afternoon Session)
Girls 8 year olds 100m backstroke
1st Chen Xing Tong – 1:33.09 (Meet record)
2nd Ricci Ong – 1:45.30
3rd Claire Pang – 1:46.87
Girls 9 year olds 100m backstroke
1st Lynette Some – 1:25.67
2nd Ni Putu Pande Primasari – 1:27.02
3rd Jobey Koh – 1:32.67
Girls 10 year olds 100m backstroke
1st Athena Chang – 1:20.20
2nd Naomi Ong – 1:21.07
3rd Scarlett Nichol – 1:22.46
Girls 11 year olds 100m backstroke
1st Ashley Lim – 1:15.43
2nd Clarissa Kwa – 1:18.44
3rd Tricia Yau – 1:20.73
Girls 12 year olds 100m backstroke
1st Pedersen Elena Lee Lee Na – 1:10.89
2nd Carmen Weiler – 1:13.08
3rd Charla Tan – 1:14.35
Girls 8 year olds 50m breaststroke
1st Vivienne Chew – 46.56s
2nd Kijana Jaeger – 52.39s
3rd Ricci Ong – 53.71s
Girls 9 year olds 50m breaststroke
1st Lynette Some – 41.15s (Meet record)
2nd Ni Putu Pande Primasari – 45.82s
3rd Isabelle Cheah – 47.05s
Girls 10 year olds 50m breaststroke
1st Melanie Chong – 39.19s (Meet record)
2nd Ricole Ong – 41.48s
3rd Elyza Mak – 43.78s
Girls 11 year olds 50m breaststroke
1st Jessiree Kwok – 37.65s
2nd Rachael Tay – 37.66s
3rd Avril Yee – 38.50s
Girls 12 year olds 50m breaststroke
1st Claresa Liau – 36.56s
2nd Bonnie Yeo – 37.07s
3rd Hannah Tan – 37.50s
Girls 8 year olds 100m freestyle
1st Ashley Koh – 1:22.36
2nd Chen Xing Tong – 1:25.43
3rd Ye Qin Wen 1:28.74
Girls 9 year olds 100m freestyle
1st Ni Putu Pande Primasari – 1:16.53
2nd Lynette Some – 1:16.61
3rd Jobey Koh – 1:18.67
Girls 10 year olds 100m freestyle
1st Naomi Ong – 1:11.00
2nd Athena Chang 1:!2.01
3rd Melanie Chong 1:12.24
Girls 11 year olds 100m freestyle
1st Ashley Lim – 1:04.03 (Meet record)
2nd Avril Yee – 1:08.54
3rd Dhami Palak Dhami – 1:09.07
Girls 12 year olds 100m freestyle
1st Clydi Chan – 1:01.38 (Meet record)
2nd Pedersen Elena Lee Lee Na – 1:03.53
3rd Charla Tan – 1:04.03
More photos next page
Leave A Comment