Story by Iman Hashim/Red Sports. Photos by Les Tan/Red Sports
Vanessa Lee (#155, VJC) crosses the finish line first in 5:06.61. (Photo 1 © Les Tan/Red Sports)
Bishan Stadium, Thursday, April 21, 2016 — Vanessa Lee of Victoria Junior College (VJC) clocked 5 minutes 6.61 seconds to clinch the A Division girls’ 1500 metres gold at the 57th National Schools Track and Field Championships.
Raffles Institution (RI) duo Natalie Soh and Nah Yi Xin completed the podium in second and third, finishing in 5:09.36 and 5:19.82 respectively.
From the start of the race, the three runners pulled away from the rest of their competitors, establishing a huge lead of at least 40 metres after the first lap.
By the second last lap, it was down to only Vanessa and Natalie fighting it out neck and neck. Yi Xin was sandwiched a reasonable distance in between the front two and the chasing pack which were scattered in a straight line at the back.
Natalie continued breathing down Vanessa’s neck, then tried to kick for the last 250m of the race. However, Vanessa managed to hold off her rival on the final bend, and eventually pulled away with a much stronger kick on the home stretch.
This was Vanessa’s first time competing in the 1500m at the national schools championships, garnering her second gold medal to add to her 2000m steeplechase title last year which she won in a new championship record of 8:00.94.
Last year, her other event was the 3000m, where she finished second behind VJC teammate Nicole Low in 11:21.26.
Just a month ago, Vanessa had also finished second behind Nicole at the 57th National Schools Cross Country Championships.
On what went through her mind during the 1500m final, Vanessa said, “Actually I had a target, which was to run a consistent pace for each round, but I guess I could not keep track of my own pace so I tried to lead all the way instead.
“After my first (three-quarter) round, I saw the clock and it was around 57 seconds – I thought I went too fast so I started to slow down. And then in my second round I didn’t hit the timing that was in my head, but it was okay and so I kept a consistent pace because I felt a bit tired.
“During the last 400m, I could feel my competitor, Natalie, right behind me so I sped up a bit, and she sped up too. I continued speeding up all the way until the last 200m at the curve – it was just me and her struggling for first place. In the last 100m, I had to kick to finish the race strongly.”
She added, “I would like to thank my coaches, Mr Tan Yew Hwee and Mrs Lin, and my teammate and competitor Nicole. Because we’re always at about the same pace, so we always push each other to the limit. And not forgetting all my other teammates who always encourage us.”
Vanessa will now look to retain her 2000m steeplechase title and break the championship record she had set last year. This time round, she will be up against her teammate and fiercest competitor, Nicole.
The A Division girls’ 2000m steeplechase final will take place on Monday, April 25.
When asked how crucial her 1500m victory could be in the context of the A Division girls’ team title, Vanessa said, “Everybody’s doing their best in their individual events to get as many points as we can for our school. So it’s purely individual and whatever I get in my own events, I just help to contribute, even if just a little bit.”
In last year’s championships, VJC had finished second, 28 points behind Hwa Chong Institution in the overall team standings. This year, VJC lead Hwa Chong 105-97 going into the final week of competition.
Noteworthy: Vanessa’s win meant that no female athlete has retained her A division 1500m title since Pamela Chia, then of Hwa Chong JC, did so in 2002-2003… The last five years have seen athletes from five different schools win this race.
A Division Girls’ 1500m – Top 8
1st Vanessa Lee Ying Zhuang (#155, Victoria JC) — 5:06.61
2nd Natalie Soh Hann (#102, Raffles Institution) — 5:09.36
3rd Nah Yi Xin (#90, Raffles Institution) — 5:19.82
4th Mariana Ramos Branicio (#43, Catholic JC) — 5:29.14
5th Pyone Myat Thwe (#149, Victoria JC) — 5:33.17
6th Amanda Lok Qi Ying (#85, Raffles Institution) — 5:33.76
7th Alexandra Louise Wee Rei-Min (#129, Victoria JC) — 5:36.14
8th Ashley Lau Jia En (#55, National JC) — 5:36.93
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