Zachary Devaraj of ACS(I) shatters 11-year-old championship record to win fourth consecutive 1500m crown

By REDintern Soh Rui Yong

Choa Chu Kang Stadium, Wednesday, April 14, 2010 — There cannot be a more dominant athlete on the school sports scene now than Zachary Ryan Devaraj. The Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) (ACSI) track star put up an inspired display of front-running, leading the B Division 1500m race from start to finish, eventually stopping the clock at 4 minutes 12.61 seconds to win the race and better Kannan Poobalan’s 11-year-old mark of 4:14.13.

It was his second championship record of the meet, after bettering Rajasegar Divadas’ record in the 800m. Zachary's win was also amazingly his fourth 1500m victory at the National Inter-School Track and Field Championships. That means he has won in every year since he entered secondary school!

1500m races are often tactical affairs, with runners resistant to taking the lead and preferring to play cat-and-mouse during the early part of the race to save their energy for a final lap kick. However, Zachary made known to all his high ambitions right from the gun-start, dashing into the lead and settling into a quick-yet-steady rhythm.

He covered the first lap in approximately 64 seconds, on course for a 4:00 finishing time, and the fast rhythm shook off the entire field apart from Singapore Sports School’s Marc Amiruddin.

Meanwhile, at the front, with his eyes fixed on nothing but the ground in front of him, shoulders relaxed, arms pumping hard and knees lifting high, Zachary was a picture of focus and concentration with only one thing on his mind — the championship record.

Perhaps due to the unusually fast start, Zachary's pace drifted slightly in the middle of the race, threatening to upset the record attempt. As the bell signalled Zachary’s final lap, the clock read 3:07, and that meant he had to cover the final 400m under 67s to have any chance of breaking Poobalan’s electronically-timed record.

With a final roll of the dice, Zachary stepped up his pace and accelerated. Marc had been left far behind by now and was now fighting off a challenge from his team-mate, Ivan Tan, for the silver medal. However, all eyes in the spectator stands were on the hard-charging Zachary, and the clock. With every 100m of the remaining 400m passed, his arms and legs grew heavier, and his usual long, flowing stride shortened as the lactic acid accumulated exponentially.

His face, just a while ago a picture of concentration, was contorted in pain. Knowing both time and his energy were running out, Zachary reached deep within himself and drew on his reserves, his will-power and his desire to succeed. He willed his body to ignore the discomfort and moved even faster, despite every oxygen-deprived muscle in the body pleading for mercy.

Finally, as the ACS(I) golden boy entered the home straight, the spectators all rose to their feet, sensing something special about to happen. Zachary had fought off the discomfort, the pain, his inner demons telling him to stop, and kept up the fast pace. The ACS(I) crowd roared in unison as their hero dashed towards the finish line with an eye on the clock.

Boosted by the support of his supporters, with his arms driving hard and lungs bursting as he gasped for air, Zachary rode on the energy of the crowd and summoned one last kick for the finish. Lunging for the line at the end, Zachary stopped the clock at 4:12.61, smashing the old mark of 4:14.13 by more than a second. His lighting-quick last lap of 65 seconds had salvaged the record attempt, and Zachary broke into a grin as he crossed the line, raising his arms in delight.

Behind him, Marc and Ivan engaged in a fierce battle down the home straight, and were rewarded for their courageous display with the silver and bronze respectively.

"I have always wanted to set a new record at the national schools level, and I tried so many times in the past but to no avail," Zachary shared.

"I wasn't ready then, but this has been my breakthrough year in terms of performances, as I have been able to slash my personal bests down tremendously. I am satisfied with my 1500m record, but also feel I could have gone faster with more competition."

Asked how fast he believed he could run the distance, the quietly-confident champion replied: "Around 4:07. I will be representing Singapore at the ASEAN Schools Games (held in Kuala Lumpur from the 12th to 21st July) in the 800m and 1500m, and I hope the stronger competition there will spur me on to achieve my target. I will also be aiming to win a medal for Singapore there. In the long term, I aim to represent Singapore at the SEA Games in 2013, but will have to continue working hard and improving to do so."

With the state of Singapore athletics in dire straits at the moment, the arrival of this promising, extremely-talented, new king of middle-distance running could not have come at a better time. Does anyone still believe that Singapore has no sporting talent?

Tell that to Zachary Ryan Devaraj.

For more photos of the race, go to the gallery