Story by Iman Hashim/Red Sports. Photos by Les Tan and Chua Kai Yun/Red Sports.
Ow Yeong Wei Bin of HCI won gold in a PB of 50.11s. (Photo 1 © Les Tan/Red Sports)
Bishan Stadium, Thursday, April 21, 2016 — Ow Yeong Wei Bin of Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) clocked a personal best of 50.11 seconds to clinch the A Division Boys’ 400 metres gold at the 57th National Schools Track and Field Championships.
Dinesh Hulbert (50.84s) of St. Andrew’s Junior College (SAJC) and Mark Llewellyn Lim (52.25s) of Raffles Institution (RI) finished in second and third respectively.
This was Wei Bin’s third National Schools 400m victory in a row. He had won in the B Division in 2014 with a 51.76s timing, and also last year in the A Division where he set his previous personal best of 50.69s.
Sharing his post-race thoughts, Wei Bin remarked, “I’m quite happy with the gold, but also quite disappointed in a way because I didn’t break the 50-second barrier. But I’m still grateful for my gold medal. I’m hoping to break the 50 barrier soon.”
Wei Bin’s win could prove vital in the context of the A Division Boys’ overall title race. Last year, HCI had pipped RI to the team title by just two points.
“I think it’s pretty crucial, every single point counts,” Wei Bin acknowledged. “I want to thank my friends, my parents and most importantly my coach, Mr Han Zhong Jian for this victory.”
Wei Bin will now be aiming to retain his 400m hurdles title which he won last year in a personal best of 55.54s. This time round, he has qualified for the final by finishing fastest overall in the heats with a 55.66s timing.
He will also look to break the championship record of 54.56s for the event, which was set by his brother, Yu Xiang, then also of HCI, three years ago.
The A Division Boys’ 400m hurdles final will take place on Monday, April 25.
A Division Boys’ 400m – Top 8
1st Ow Yeong Wei Bin (#264, Hwa Chong Institution) — 50.11 seconds
2nd Dinesh Hulbert S/O Anthony Lawrence (#159, St. Andrew’s JC) — 50.84
3rd Mark Llewellyn Lim Wan Hao (#142, Raffles Institution) — 52.25
4th Ringo Han Jia Ming (#147, Raffles Institution) — 53.09
5th Singh Abdullah Alexander (#207, Victoria JC) — 53.23
6th Lee Joon Hei (#136, Raffles Institution) — 53.83
7th Tay Huan Lin (#208, Victoria JC) — 53.88
8th Ong Yao De (#292, Pioneer JC) — 54.11
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