Interview by Colin Tung/Red Sports. Photo by Lim Yong Teck/Red Sports

SEA Games athletics

Raffles Institution alumna Jannah Wong will be competing in the women’s 100m hurdles at the SEA Games. (Photo © Lim Yong Teck/Red Sports)

Red Sports (RS): Tell us about your background as an athlete. When, where, and how did you get your start in athletics?

Jannah Wong (JW): I was in Primary 2 when my older sister started training with the school track and field team. Every training she attended, my mother would bring me along to watch. Watching the older girls running around Bishan stadium always looked fun to me, so I always ran after them in my tiny running shoes. It was then that the coach noticed that I had speed, and he started training me with the older girls, and registered me for the National Schools Track and Field Championships to compete against older girls.

RS: What do you enjoy about your event? What has kept you in it over the years?

JW: I like the rhythm between the hurdles, every three steps. It’s not just plain running but there’s an obstacle every 8.5m, which helps me focus on my race, concentrating on the next hurdle after clearing each one.

RS: What are your aims this SEA Games?

JW: I will do my very best and get a personal best. I hope that this SEA Games will be a great exposure and that it will be injury free!

RS: How do you feel about competing at the first SEA Games on home ground in 22 years?

JW: Although I don’t get the international exposure and experience I would get competing in foreign countries, I love competing on home soil simply because I feel a sense of national pride when athletes from around the world gather in Singapore.

RS: What sort of scene do you imagine and hope to see at the National Stadium on competition day?

JW: I hope that during the four days of competition, the National Stadium would be buzzing with Singaporeans cheering us on.

Jannah Wong
Height: 1.70m
Weight: 59kg
Event: 100m hurdles
Personal best: 14.14sec (2014 Asian Junior Championships)

Also representing Singapore in the women’s 100m hurdles: Nur Izlyn Binte Zaini

The women’s 100m hurdles final is scheduled for Thursday, June 11, 2015. See here for full schedule

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