Story by Iman Hashim/Red Sports. Photos by Les Tan/Red Sports.
Mark Lim (#142, RI) makes his move from the middle of the pack with 200m to go to eventually win the gold in 2:03.74. (Photo 1 © Les Tan/Red Sports)
Bishan Stadium, Friday, April 22, 2016 — After trailing for most of the race, Mark Llewellyn Lim of Raffles Institution (RI) pulled off a devastating kick on the home stretch to snatch the A Division Boys’ 800 metres gold at the 57th National Schools Track and Field Championships, clocking 2 minutes 3.74 seconds.
Mohammad Shafiq Anshad (2:04.27) made it a one-two finish for RI, while Shamus Lim (2:04.64) of Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) finished in third.
Shafiq took the initiative from the start, taking the lead with the entire chasing pack right behind him. On the other hand, Mark found himself boxed in, which made it difficult for him to get to the front of the pack. Mark stayed in the middle of the pack throughout the entire first lap.
Shafiq continued to hold his lead on the second lap, with Shamus and Luke Chiang of St. Andrew’s Junior College following closely. Even up till the last 150m of the race, Mark found himself in sixth position.
Then with a last burst of energy, Mark drifted out onto the outer lanes after the final bend and went on a lung-bursting kick, outsprinting the five runners ahead of him on the home straight. Shafiq lost his lead for the first time in the race with only 20m to go, while Mark punched the air in delight as he crossed the finish line first.
This was Mark’s second straight National Schools 800m gold, after he had also won in the A Division last year with a 2:03.93 timing. In 2014, he had only finished second in the B Division, clocking 2:07.65.
His winning timing, though, fell short of his personal best of 2:01.59, set in June last year at the 2nd Asian Schools Track and Field Championships in Wuhan, China.
On his race strategy, Mark commented, “I didn’t want to start too fast, because I was afraid that I wouldn’t have enough energy to kick at the last part. So I tried to conserve for the first round and for the first 200m of the next round.”
“Honestly, when I was sixth in the last 200m, I thought I wouldn’t be able to get onto the podium. But in the last 100m, I knew I had conserved some energy, so I just tried my best to kick and fortunately I managed to do that,” he continued, on what went through his mind before the home stretch.
He added, “When I crossed the finish line in first, I was just thanking God in my head, I was just so grateful to Him for running with me.”
Mark is only the third athlete in the last two decades to claim the A Division Boys’ 800m gold for two years in a row, after Raffles Junior College alumnus Soh Hua Qun (2008-2009) and Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) alumnus Zachary Ryan Devaraj (2011-2012).
“I feel very proud and very blessed to be able to achieve that, it’s really quite a difficult feat but I’m really grateful for my coaches throughout my whole track journey, my friends who were cheering me on and definitely my parents and God, for always being there for me,” he remarked.
Mark’s road to retaining his title had not been easy, as he had sustained a torn muscle in his quadriceps just two months ago. He barely participated in any races since then, focusing only on rehabilitation in the weeks leading up to the National Schools.
Just a day before the 800m final, he had finished third in the 400m event, clocking 52.25s. It was a step down for him, as he had finished second in the event last year in 51.16s.
Nevertheless, Mark was adamant that he could not have asked for more, saying, “For me it was quite disappointing but I have to understand that I was running with an injury, so I couldn’t have expected much more than a podium finish.”
With both his individual events over, Mark will now look forward to the 4x400m relay, where his RI team will be aiming to retain the gold they had won last year. The 4x400m relay final will take place on Friday, April 29 at the National Stadium.
Meanwhile, Mark and Shafiq’s one-two finish for RI could prove vital in the race for the A Division Boys’ overall team title, which RI had lost by two points to HCI last year.
Mark ended off, “I think (my victory) is really crucial and I’m glad I did my part for the team, and hopefully we will clinch the title this year.”
A Division Boys’ 800m – Top 8
1st Mark Llewellyn Lim Wan Hao (#142, Raffles Institution) — 2:03.74
2nd Mohammad Shafiq Anshad (#145, Raffles Institution) — 2:04.27
3rd Shamus Lim Shi Hoe (#269, Hwa Chong Institution) — 2:04.64
4th Luke Chiang Jai Ming (#158, St. Andrew’s JC) — 2:05.02
5th Abdul Thaslim (#119, Queensway Secondary) — 2:05.83
6th Hu Huaxin (#251, Hwa Chong Institution) — 2:05.91
7th Ong Yao De (#292, Pioneer JC) — 2:05.96
8th Ashton Tan Kai Shun (#150, Raffles Institution) — 2:05.97
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