Story by Yvonne Yap/Red Sports. Pictures by Vanessa Lim/Red Sports.

Singapore Open Windsurfing Championship 2009

Audrey Yong (SIN 11) comes in 4th in the Techno Class just behind team-mate Amanda Ng. (Photo 1 © Vanessa Lim/Red Sports)

National Service Resort and Country Club Sea Sports Centre, Sunday, 10 January, 2010 – Youth Olympic Games (YOG) windsurfer Amanda Ng was the only Singaporean to finish on the podium in the Techno 293 Class after three days of competition at the SIM 29th Singapore Open Windsurfing Championships.

She beat fellow local and Asian Youth Games (AYG) bronze medallist Audrey Yong by four points to pip her to the third position.

In the boys’ category in the same class, Singapore’s Jeddy Tan had to settle for fourth place while Chuah Jun Ler and Merrick Pang finished sixth and eighth respectively.

On the final day, only two races were conducted in each of the RS:X, Techno 293, IMCO and Raceboard classes due to the light winds. Amanda came in first position for the final race, with her only other top position coming from the first race on the first day of competition.

“I think we did not so bad,” commented guest-of-honour Mr Teo Ser Luck, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS). He was present on the final day of the event.

“Windsurfing is not something that we always have championships or competitions that would enable them to gain experience so I’m glad they are at least in the top-five in this competition,” he added.

In the RS:X (Open) class, South Korea’s Kwon Ohhan beat Philippines’ Reneric Moreno by three points after 11 races and two discards. Singapore's Joshua Choo took third position. 18-year-old Leonard Ong, who came in third in the RS:X (Men’s) Class at the recent Sail Melbourne 2009, was 13 points behind Joshua, and settled for fourth position with 43 points.

In the Formula class, Philippines’ Geylord Coveta stormed to the top after five straight wins and that was where he finished. In second place was Singapore's Goh Thye Hock while Australia's Christopher Newman took third position.

Taking place concurrently with the SIM Singapore Open Windsurfing Championships on the second and third days was the inaugural SIM Windsurfing Championship, which saw competitors from the local universities – National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore Institute of Management (SIM), Singapore Management University (SMU) and the Ministry of Education (MOE).

Across the novice, intermediate and open categories, SIM and NUS each swept five of the 15 available medals, with SIM clinching one gold, three silvers and one bronze (1-3-1) while NUS brought home one gold, two silvers and two bronzes (1-2-2).

“We still have room for improvement,” commented NUS’ windsurfing chairperson Heng Choon Peng, who came in third for the 4M Men’s Novice category.

The next competition on the calendar for tertiary students is the Inter-Tertiary Windsurfing Championships (ITWC) in February.

Results for the SIM 29th Singapore Open Windsurfing Championships 2010:

RS:X Open
1. Kwon Ohhan (Korea)
2. Reneric Moreno (Philippines)
3. Joshua Choo (Singapore)

RS:X Youth
1. Gabriel Brettell (Hong Kong)
2. Dominic Brettell (Hong Kong)
3. Joseph Alagos (Philippines)

Techno 293 (Boys)
1. Kim Chaneui (Korea)
2. Kitpatchai Pantawee (Thailand)
3. Tam Man Fung (Hong Kong)

Techno 293 (Girls)
1. Sarocha Promprai (Thailand)
2. Paphawadee (Thailand)
3. Amanda Ng Ling Kai (Singapore)

Formula Open
1. Geylord Coveta (Philippines)
2. Goh Thye Hock (Singapore)
3. Christopher Paul Newman (United Kingdom)

Formula Masters
1. PJ Su (Singapore)
2. Yeap Leong Soon (Malaysia)
3. Nicholas Conceicao (Singapore)

Mistral Open
1. Natthaphong Phonoppharat (Thailand)
2. MD Astika Oye W. (Indonesia)
3. German Paz (Philippines)

Raceboard
1. Rumsap Phanuthat (Thailand)
2. Samuel Chng Wei Yang (Singapore)
3. See Loong Huat (Singapore)

Slalom Open
1. Rumsap Phanuthat (Thailand)
2. Joon Chyi Huey (Singapore)
3. Catherine Chua (Singapore)
4. Gee Hee Yong (Singapore)
5. Rachel Charis Ng (Singapore)

Slalom Masters
1. Catherine Chua (Singapore)
2. Denis Wee (Singapore)
3. Norihisa Kato (Japan)

Slalom Ladies
1. Joon Chyi Huey (Singapore)
2. Catherine Chua (Singapore)
3. Rachel Charis Ng (Singapore)

Singapore Open Windsurfing Championship 2009

Chuah Jun Ler (SIN 16) comes in sixth in the boys’ Techno 293. (Photo 2 © Vanessa Lim/Red Sports)

Singapore Open Windsurfing Championship 2009

Leonard Ong (SIN 2) just misses out on third position to team-mate Joshua Choo (7). (Photo 3 © Vanessa Lim/Red Sports)

Singapore Open Windsurfing Championship 2009

Amanda Ng (SIN 15) finishes in third behind Thailand’s Sarocha Promprai and Paphawadee who finish first and second respectively. (Photo 4 © Vanessa Lim/Red Sports)

Singapore Open Windsurfing Championship 2009

Shaun Pow (SIN 5) finishes tenth out of 17 windsurfers. (Photo 5 © Vanessa Lim/Red Sports)

Singapore Open Windsurfing Championship 2009

Jeddy Tan (SIN 111) overtakes Chuah Jun Ler (SIN 16) just as the wind dies down. (Photo 6 © Vanessa Lim/Red Sports)

Singapore Open Windsurfing Championship 2009

Windsurfers for the Techno class congregating at the start line. (Photo 7 © Vanessa Lim/Red Sports)

Singapore Open Windsurfing Championship 2009

Merrick Pang (SIN 55) finishes in eighth position behind team-mates Jeddy Tan (SIN 111) and Chuah Jun Ler (SIN 16). (Photo 8 © Vanessa Lim/Red Sports)

Singapore Open Windsurfing Championship 2009

Jannicke Stalstrom (NOR 3), an Olympian and contracted coach to the Singapore windsurfing team, surges ahead of the rest, taking an early lead. (Photo 9 © Vanessa Lim/Red Sports)

Singapore Open Windsurfing Championship 2009

Ong Chen Yang (SIN 12) manages an 8th placing overall. (Photo 10 © Vanessa Lim/Red Sports)

Singapore Open Windsurfing Championship 2009

Singapore windsurfers catching a break in between races. (Photo 11 © Vanessa Lim/Red Sports)

Singapore Open Windsurfing Championship 2009

Kwon Ohhan (KOR 82) and Reneric Moreno (PHI 76) were neck-and-neck coming down the finishing stretch in the last race. (Photo 12 © Vanessa Lim/Red Sports)

Singapore Open Windsurfing Championship 2009

Lo Jun Hao (SIN 21) cutting it close to the buoy. (Photo 13 © Vanessa Lim/Red Sports)

Singapore Open Windsurfing Championship 2009

Jeddy Tan (SIN 111) coming in fourth for Techno class. (Photo 14 © Vanessa Lim/Red Sports)

Singapore Open Windsurfing Championship 2009

Korea’s Kwon Ohhan (KOR 82) winning the RS:X (Open) event. (Photo 15 © Vanessa Lim/Red Sports)

Singapore Open Windsurfing Championship 2009

Goh Thye Hock (SIN 8 ) coming in second behind Geylord Coveta (PHI 4) of the Philippines in the Formula (Open) event. (Photo © Vanessa Lim/Red Sports)