Story by REDintern Jessica Soo. Photos by Iman Hashim/Red Sports and REDintern Julianna Jothi.
Nicholas Teo (#145) of Singapore Sports School clinched the B Division boys’ 200m title in 23.31s. (Photo 1 © Iman Hashim/Red Sports)
Choa Chu Kang Stadium, Monday, March 25, 2019 — Four years of training and hard work culminated in the B Division Boys’ 200 metres final for Nicholas Teo, and he did not fail to deliver.
“I have been preparing for a long time to achieve what I wanted to achieve,” said the Singapore Sports School (SSP) Secondary 4 student. “Through the years I have been training hard, getting the best timings, and preparing four years for this day.”
Stopping the clock at 23.31 seconds, Nicholas rose to the occasion for his last year in the division at the 60th National Schools Track and Field Championships, claiming his first individual gold medal.
Prior to the race, Nicholas was already focused on what he wanted to do on the track, and how he was going to do it, though this was an effort not solely done by himself.
His coach, Pedro Acuna, was very much a part of the game plan.
“Through my years there were many ups and downs in my life. But the only person I would like to thank, the only person that motivates me through all my struggles is Coach Pedro,” he said.
“I would like to thank him for taking me through this journey, through the ups and downs. He motivated me and encouraged me to do better. Even though times were hard, he would give me motivational talks, tell me about his lifetime experiences, and how I would do better in the future.”
The newly crowned champion finished only a few strides ahead of Mark Lee of Anglo-Chinese School (Independent), who clocked 23.56s to claim the silver. Nicholas’ SSP teammate, Lim Rui, finished third with a timing of 23.69s.
Despite finding himself among a line-up of well-prepared competitors, Nicholas said he was ready to take the challenge head on.
“In every race, I would like to have my own mindset,” he explained. “I think in every race, it’s not about focusing on others, or competing with others. It’s about my own race, and breaking through my own barriers.”
Carried away by adrenaline, runner-up Mark explained that he pushed too hard on the first stretch which caused him to run out of steam in the final 100 metres.
However, this was no end for Mark, who promises that he will not settle for silver next year.
“I feel like I could have done better,” said Mark. “But I still have one more year in B Div. Next year, I want to go for something… spectacular.”
And with slightly more conviction, the 15-year-old added: “And I am going to train hard for it, starting now.”
With only a few days left to the final day at the Sports Hub, both Nicholas and Mark are excited to represent their schools for the 100m final, where they will be going head-to-head again. Mark has qualified fastest from the semi-finals, while Nicholas stands at overall fourth.
B Division Boys’ 200m Final – Results
1st Nicholas Teo Hong Xin (Singapore Sports School, #145) — 23.31 seconds
2nd Mark Lee Ren (Anglo-Chinese School (Independent), #201) — 23.56
3rd Lim Rui (Singapore Sports School, #141) — 23.69
4th Mohammed Aamir (Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary, #27) — 23.69
5th Ho Zhe Xi (Raffles Institution, #288) — 23.87
6th Muhammad Adhwa’ B Buhardeen (Singapore Sports School, #144) — 23.89
7th Kieren Lee Shen Ee (Victoria School, #491) — 23.91
8th Tham Kang Tai (Gan Eng Seng School, #227) — 24.40
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