Story by Edina Tan/Red Sports. Photos by Les Tan and Chua Kai Yun/Red Sports.
Anchor runner Pan Xin-Min of HCI crosses in 4:14.82 to win gold. (Photo 1 © Les Tan/Red Sports)
National Stadium, Friday, April 29, 2016 — Hwa Chong Institution (HCI) clinched the A Division Girls 4x400m relay gold at the 57th National Schools Track and Field Championships.
The HCI quartet of Claudia Sng, Britney Chia, Audrey Sarah Tan and Pan Xin-Min finished with a timing of 4 minutes 14.82 seconds.
The electronically-timed record for the event still stands at 4:02.47, set also by HCI in 2011.
Raffles Institution (RI) and Anglo-Chinese Junior College (ACJC) came in second and third, with timings of 4:17.87 and 4:21.60 respectively.
The end of the first lap saw Clenyce Tan (#73, RI) in the lead, followed closely by Joanna Low (#31, ACS(I)) and Yoo Yi Jie (#65, NJC).
The HCI second runner, Britney Chia and the ACJC second runner, Maxine Mak (#178), closed the gap with Alysee Goh (#68, RI) and moved into the lead, and they were neck and neck for most of the second leg.
The RI third runner, Gwyneth Ang, managed to close the gap with Audrey Sarah Tan (#187, HCI) and Choong Yi Chin (166, ACJC). Yi Chin led for most of the lap until she was overtaken by Audrey in the last stretch.
HCI led heading into the final leg, and last runner Xin-Min managed to hold on to the lead and pull away from the RI anchor runner, Amirah Aljunied, to clinch a comfortable gold for her team.
When asked about the race, Audrey said on behalf of her team, “The race was undoubtedly an intense and eventful one – it being a really close fight. All four of us ran our hardest for the team, and we’re incredibly grateful to be able to achieve such results.
“The race as a whole was definitely an experience worth remembering. Given the location and the number of supporters who showed up, it was both very nerve-wracking and exciting at the same time. We’re also very, very grateful to be able to compete at the Sports Hub this year, since it’s probably a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
“This is actually the first ever time the four of us have run together, so it’s a personal best. We are very thankful for our coach, Mr Lee Cheng Wei, for his patience, guidance, and for believing in our capabilities when we doubted ourselves.”
A Division 4x400m (Girls) Results
1st Hwa Chong Institution – 04:14.82
2nd Raffles Institution – 04:17.87
3rd Anglo-Chinese Junior College – 04:21.60
4th National Junior College – 04:23.55
5th Victoria Junior College – 04:25.38
6th Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) – 04:52.23
7th Catholic Junior College – 04:52.75
8th Yishun Junior College – 05:09.96
9th Pioneer Junior College – 05:15.17
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