Story by Edina Tan/Red Sports. Photos by Chua Kai Yun/Red Sports.

Chng Shu Yi (#72, RI) clinched gold with a timing of 16:49.03, breaking the last record set by Wu Ai Wei in 2015. (Photo © Chua Kai Yun/Red Sports)

Chng Shu Yi (#72, RI) clinched gold with a timing of 16:49.03, breaking the last record set by Wu Ai Wei in 2015. (Photo 1 © Chua Kai Yun/Red Sports)

Bishan Stadium, Monday, April 18, 2016 – Chng Shu Yi of Raffles Institution (RI) clinched the girls’ A Division 3000m walk gold medal with a record-breaking timing of 16 minutes 49.03 seconds at the 57th National Schools Track and Field Championships.

Odelia Cheong of Tampines Junior College and Carmen Ching of Hwa Chong Institution came in second and third respectively with timings of 18:06.02 and 19:10.32.

The walkers were scattered the moment the race started, with Odelia in the lead, followed closely by Shu Yi. A front pack was swiftly established, with the top four walkers a significant distance ahead of the rest of the competition.

Shu Yi overtook Odelia shortly into the second round, and pulled away quickly. She went on to steadily increase the lead for the rest of the race, and came in first comfortably.

When asked about the race, Shu Yi said, “The race was better than expected. I tried to keep pace and not let external factors affect me, unlike the previous race where I followed the runner ahead of me. This time I tried to focus on myself.”

She added, “I did not think that I would be able to break the record, but tried to train towards it. I hope that my juniors would be able to break my record in the future, and improve the race walking scene. I would like to thank my coaches, teachers, teammates, family and friends for this win.”

The previous A Division 3000m walk record was 17:15.12, set by Wu Ai Wei of Victoria Junior College in 2015.

A Div 3000m Walk (Girls) Results (Top 10)
1st Chng Shu Yi (#72, RI) – 16:49.03
2nd Cheong Hsien Yee, Odelia (#122, Tampines Junior College) – 18:06.02
3rd Carmen Ching (#188, HCI) – 19:10.02
4th Wong Yao Yin Amelia (#215, HCI) – 19:20.68
5th Choo Hui Zhi (#131, VJC) – 20:08.78
6th Tan Li Hui (#120, Dunman High School) – 20:17.94
7th Santhya Valluvar (#208, HCI) – 20:24.62
8th Khin Yadanar Oo (#81, RI) – 20:36.75
9th Yue Shi Min (#67, NJC) – 20:50.90
10th Nur Batrisyia Bte Abdul Wahid (#58, NJC) – 21:27.94

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