Story by REDintern Jessica Soo. Photos by REDintern Jared Khoo and Iman Hashim/Red Sports.
Cheyenne Lim (#601) of SSP crosses the finish line in the C Division Girls’ 1500m final less than a second ahead of runner-up Eryka Anna Kerner Pasupathy (#762) of Cedar Girls’ Secondary. (Photo 1 © REDintern Jared Khoo)
Choa Chu Kang Stadium, Friday, March 15, 2019 — The C Division girls’ 1500 metres event was a first for many of the competitors, including both gold and silver medalists. Despite the nerves and adrenaline on a high, Singapore Sports School’s (SSP) Cheyenne Lim was not ready to let it get to her.
Achieving a personal best of 5 minutes and 27.03 seconds, Cheyenne took it in her stride to be the first to stop the clock during the race at the 60th National Schools Track and Field Championships. Followed less than a second behind was Cedar Girls’ Eryka Anna Kerner Pasupathy, similarly smashing her previous best to clock in a timing of 5:27.99.
“I was hoping to (win), but I did not expect to get first,” Cheyenne said.
She added that she was “determined to win”, and it was the expectations from both herself and those around her that kept her going till the end.
“The pressure made me more nervous at times, but it also helped me to push through,” she explained.
Right from the gun, Cheyenne took the lead, keeping a clear distance between her and the pack. She was followed behind by SSP teammate Janelle Lum and Chan Shi Kai of CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls’ School.
The dynamics of the race changed only during the last lap, when Cheyenne changed it up by sprinting full speed. While it seemed that she would have gotten a definite gold, Eryka, who had been lingering with the pack up till the end, started the last lap with a similar burst of energy.
While Cheyenne did not concede her lead, Eryka managed to overtake the other competitors and as mentioned, was only less than a second away from snatching the gold.
When asked about what motivated her to push for the remaining 400m, the 14-year-old shared: “I think I had a very good mindset. I wanted to get on the podium, so that kind of motivated me and I could keep increasing (my speed).”
For both of the girls, nerves of the race seemed to have come second to their confidence in performing their best, leading to results that they were both satisfied with. They will meet each other again at the Sports Hub on the 29th of March for the relays. For Eryka, the 3000m final looms on the 25th of March.
C Division Girls’ 1500m Results
1st Cheyenne Lim Hwee Suan (Singapore Sports School, #601) — 05:27.03
2nd Eryka Anna Kerner Pasupathy (Cedar Girls’ Secondary, #762) — 05:27.99
3rd Janelle Lum Wai Yan (Singapore Sports School, #605) — 05:29.08
4th Eunice Chin Ee Teng (Nanyang Girls’ High School, #923) — 05:29.31
5th Ng Rui Shi (Raffles Girls’ School, #742) — 05:33.95
6th Kristel Koh Xiulin (CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’ School, #552) — 05:35.31
7th Qiu Yilin Elim (Nanyang Girls’ High School, #932) — 05:35.36
8th Alexandra Ng (Cedar Girls’ Secondary, #756) — 05:37.03
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