Story by Iman Hashim/Red Sports. Photos by Les Tan/Red Sports
Joseph Zhao (HCI #254) jumped 14.40m to win his second gold of the championships. He became the first boys’ A division athlete to win the long and triple jump gold medals in the same year since 2008, when Goh Eng Wei, then of Raffles Junior College, achieved the feat. (Photo 1 © Les Tan/Red Sports)
Bishan Stadium, Monday, April 18, 2016 — Joseph Johnathan Zhao of Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) leapt a massive 14.40 metres in the A Division Boys’ triple jump to claim his second gold medal of the 57th National Schools Track and Field Championships.
A week earlier, he had won the long jump with a 6.97m leap.
Gary Wee of Singapore Sports School (SSP), who had come in second in the long jump, could not get the better of Joseph again in the triple jump, and finished second with a 14.19m leap. Gary’s SSP teammate, Adlan Syaddad, was third with 13.55m.
Joseph took the competition by storm as early as his second jump, where he recorded his gold-winning 14.40m distance. It was accompanied by a tailwind speed of 1.6 metres per second. He also recorded 14.29m with his fourth jump, which meant that Gary had to play catch-up.
Gary, who was the defending champion in the event, jumped 13.72m and 13.80m on his fourth and fifth attempts respectively, before coming closest with his final jump of 14.19m.
Joseph’s jump was the third furthest in the history of this competition. Championship record holder Lee Chen Yong, then of Raffles Junior College, jumped 14.55m in 2002, while Wang Kan, who also represented RJC then, registered a 14.46m on the way to the gold medal four years later.
Joseph, who had suffered a slight hamstring strain after his long jump event the previous week, could not be happier with his victory. He said, “I’m just happy. I have to thank my coach, Ms Chan See Huey, for believing and having faith in me all these years. I also want to thank my school and my teammates, who have supported me all the way.”
On his performance, he added, “Because of my strained hamstring, I just had to overcome this mental barrier today. I also had an injured back, so I wasn’t able to do any full run-ups for the past few months. Instead, I had to do a lot of mental training, like going through the motion.”
Joseph, who is HCI’s track and field team captain, also acknowledged that his double-gold showing in the championships could go a long way in helping his team win the overall title. “This year is going to be a very tough fight for us. Every point counts, so we need to make sure that we get as many points as possible,” he said.
Last year, HCI had pipped Raffles Institution to the A Division Boys’ team title by two points.
Meanwhile, although he had missed out on another gold medal, Gary was pleased with his triple jump result, which was a new personal best. His previous personal best was 13.73m, which had won him the event last year.
“For triple jump, I was quite happy. That was my target for this year, just to hit 14 (metres). I came in just to get a PB. For long jump, I was more disappointed because I was expecting to win it,” Gary explained.
When asked about his fierce competition with Joseph, he added, “It’s a good rivalry. It helps us to jump further distances, so in a way it’s good for Singapore that the youth jumpers are coming up.”
This is the first time in at least 18 years that the top eight jumpers managed at least 13 metres each.
A Division Boys Triple Jump – Top 8
1st Joseph Johnathan Zhao Zhiwei (#254, Hwa Chong Institution) — 14.40 metres
2nd Gary Wee Wei Zong (#30, Singapore Sports School) — 14.19
3rd Adlan Syaddad B Mohamad Yani (#28, Singapore Sports School) — 13.55
4th Ivan Mun Jern Wei (#109, National JC) — 13.55
5th Alwin Ang Yong Siang (#238, Hwa Chong Institution) — 13.38
6th Charles Teo Wei Xin (#153, Raffles Institution) — 13.35
7th Koh Yuan Zhang (#135, Raffles Institution) — 13.13
8th Toh Wei Yu (#154, Raffles Institution) — 13.03
More photos next page
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