ACS(I)’s Sean Russell Tay (#71) brought his team from 5th to 1st on the anchor to clinch the C Div boys’ 4x400m relay gold. (Photo 11 © Iman Hashim/Red Sports)
C Div Boys’ 4x400m Relay Final
Only in sixth place in the last 100 metres of the penultimate leg, ACS(I) had anchor Sean Russell Tay to thank as he blazed down the last lap to retain the school’s C Div boys’ 4x400m relay gold in 3:50.49.
In an exhilarating final, VS clinched silver in 3:51.78, RI took bronze in 3:54.24, while HCI were fourth in 3:58.55.
RI had taken the lead over the first two legs via Wang Qiyue and Nagaraj Dhiyanesh, followed behind by SSP, St. Patrick’s and ACS(I) at the halfway point of the race.
St. Patrick’s Lai Hikaru Jo Yip took the lead midway through the third leg but gradually faded while ACS(I) dropped to sixth by the home straight, as VS and HCI joined the fray. SSP’s Kyan Jee finished this leg in front, followed by VS, RI and HCI.
Receiving the baton in fifth, ACS(I)’s 200m (23.40s) and 400m (53.45s) champ Sean remarkably overtook HCI, RI and SSP at the 200m mark before hunting down VS’s 100m hurdles (14.39s) and 200m hurdles (25.44s) champ Kayden Fang on the home straight to snatch victory.
The rest of the ACS(I) quartet consisted of Kieran Chua, Luca Chen and 1500m-3000m champ Sebastian Chong.
While ACS(I)’s winning time of 3:50.49 is the slowest in this event since 1994 (3:50.6, Fairfield Methodist School), they became the first team to win a relay gold from lane 1 since 2016 (HCI, A girls’ 4x400m).
Results
1st Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) — 3 minutes 50.49 seconds
2nd Victoria School — 3:51.78
3rd Raffles Institution — 3:54.24
4th Hwa Chong Institution — 3:55.40
5th Singapore Sports School — 3:58.55
6th St. Patrick’s School — 4:01.42
7th Admiralty Secondary School — 4:03.59
8th Dunman High School — 4:05.99
9th Gan Eng Seng School — 4:09.69
Ifeanyichukwu Asyaraff Ibrahim Molokwu (#534) anchors SSP to gold in the B Div boys’ 4x400m relay final. (Photo 12 © Iman Hashim/Red Sports)
B Div Boys’ 4x400m Relay Final
Singapore Sports School (SSP) led from start to end as the quartet of Muhammad Danial Ryan, Emir Bin Muhammad Rashid, Emre Rizq Mika and Ifeanyichukwu Asyaraff Ibrahim Molokwu brought home the B Div boys’ 4x400m relay gold in 3:34.33.
Though it was the slowest winning time in this event since 2012 (3:34.89, St. Joseph’s Institution), it was SSP’s ninth consecutive win in this event and the 12th win out of 17 attempts since the school’s establishment.
A late challenge from Secondary 3 athlete and 400m champion Harry Irfan Curran (51.40s) proved too little, too late as the ACS(I) anchor brought his team from fourth to second with an approximately 50s split, but settled for silver in 3:36.15.
Catholic High were third in 3:37.84, and Victoria School fourth in 3:38.30.
Results
1st Singapore Sports School — 3 minutes 34.33 seconds
2nd Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) — 3:36.15
3rd Catholic High School — 3:37.84
4th Victoria School — 3:38.30
5th Hwa Chong Institution — 3:39.49
6th Raffles Institution — 3:40.83
7th St. Patrick’s School — 3:41.52
8th Tanjong Katong Secondary School — 3:46.50
9th Bukit View Secondary School — 3:50.17
RI’s Caleb Loy (#198) pips VJC’s Ethan Phua (#291) on the anchor to snatch gold in the A Div boys’ 4x400m relay final. (Photo 13 © Iman Hashim/Red Sports)
A Div Boys’ 4x400m Relay Final
A tight contest in the A Div boys’ 4x400m relay final culminated in RI grabbing gold in 3:28.24, narrowly ahead of VJC who took silver in 3:29.10. Both RI and VJC were way ahead of the chasing pack from start to end, as nearest challengers HCI finished at least six seconds behind in third (3:35.47).
RI’s 110m hurdles champ and 400m hurdles bronze medalist Brandon Ang as well as VJC’s 100m-200m bronze medalist Ong Ying Tat had set the pace from the lead-off leg, with RI marginally in front by the end of the second leg via 400m silver medalist Zach Tan, ahead of VJC’s Renfred Ong.
VJC’s 400m hurdles and 800m runner Tanmay Deshpande made up some ground on RI’s Shaun Max Sudhakar on the penultimate leg, but no one could stop RI’s 400m (51.46s) and 400m hurdles (57.34s) champ Caleb Loy on the anchor as he held off VJC’s 400m bronze medalist Ethan Phua to cross the finish line first.
RI reclaimed the gold in this event which they last won in 2019, while this was VJC’s first top 3 finish since 2017 (bronze), and the highest position attained by a VJC team since they last won this relay two consecutive times in 2008-2009.
In 12 editions of the meet ever since VJC’s golds in 2008 and 2009, the A boys’ 4x400m relay has only been won by RI (6 times), ACS(I) (3 times), and Anglo-Chinese Junior College (3 times).
Results
1st Raffles Institution — 3 minutes 28.24 seconds
2nd Victoria Junior College — 3:29.10
3rd Hwa Chong Institution — 3:35.47
4th Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) — 3:36.29
5th Yishun Innova Junior College — 3:36.53
6th Eunoia Junior College — 3:43.77
7th National Junior College — 3:44.66
8th Anglo-Chinese Junior College — 3:46.31
9th St. Andrew’s Junior College — 3:46.32
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