B Div High Jump: Bryan Wong of RI sets new meet and u-17 record of 2.02m

Story and photos by Rebekah Abbott/Red Sports

Wong Jingkai Bryan (#310) of Raffles Institution sets a new championship and national under-17 record, bagging gold with his jump of 2.02m. (Photo 1 © Rebekah Abbott/Red Sports)

Choa Chu Kang Stadium, Wednesday, April 16, 2014 — Bryan Wong of Raffles Institution jumped his way to a new meet and national under-17 record of 2.02m on his first attempt at the 55th National Inter-School Track & Field Championships. His gold-medal effort in the boys’ B Division high jump event beat the previous record of 2.01m set in 1998 by David Woon Ta Wei, then of The Chinese High School.

Ong Sim Hao of Hwa Chong Institution finished second with a new personal best of 1.92m, which he cleared on his first attempt. Last year’s C Division runner-up, Hairul Syamil B Mardan of Jurong Secondary, came in third with a height of 1.78m.

It was a close fight between Bryan and Sim Hao from the time the bar was set to 1.84m, with both competitors taking no more than two attempts to clear each new height. It was only at 1.94m that the Hwa Chong athlete was unable to clear, leaving Bryan as the champion, and soon after, the new record holder.

“I’m quite happy, I’m glad that my teammates and my coaches as well as my family have supported me all the way. Without them, I wouldn’t have done this,” said Bryan, who has been competing since he was in Primary 5, making this his sixth year in the sport.

Bryan’s previous PB of 1.91m was set in March. His 2.02m-clearance makes him the second Singaporean to jump 2 metres this year. Muhd Nasiruddin was the first when he cleared 2.00m at the Singapore Athletic Association Series 3 meet in March 2014.

B Division High Jump (Boys) Results
1st Wong Jingkai Bryan (#310,Raffles Institution) – 2.02m (championship record)
2nd Ong Sim Hao (#547, Hwa Chong Institution) – 1.92m
3rd Hairul Syamil B Mardan (#572,Jurong Secondary School) – 1.78m
4th Chung Kai Hern, David (#528, Hwa Chong Institution) – 1.76m
5th Teo Tze Jun Ryan (#130, Singapore Sports School) – 1.76m
6th Chua Cheng Leong (#527, Hwa Chong Institution) – 1.70m
6th Wong Kar Fai (#221, Catholic High School) – 1.70m
8th Eugene Tan Yi Rong (#153, Anglo Chinese School (Independent)) – 1.70m
9th Matthias Clove Lee Yao-Wen (#211, Catholic High School) – 1.65m
10th Ryan Ng Jiong Hao (#492, Victoria School) – 1.60m
10th Ow Tze Kiat, Sheldon (#349, St. Joseph’s Institution) – 1.60m
10th Jude Tan Choon Jek (#477, Victoria School) – 1.60m
Owen Yong Kum Fai (#576, Jurong Secondary School) – DNQ
R Jaya Suraj (#351, St. Joseph’s Institution) – DNQ
Tan Li Kang (#305, Raffles Institution) – DNQ
Lee Wen Jian, Justin (#293, Raffles Institution) – DNQ
Tan Jun Rui, Joey (#462, Temasek Secondary School) – Withdrawal
Teo Jing Xun (#130, Catholic High School) – Withdrawal