Story by REDintern Tan Wan Xin. Photos by Lim Yong Teck/Red Sports

SEA Games Athletics

Nicole Liaw (front) and Eliza Ng of Singapore in action during the women’s 800m final. They finished fifth and sixth respectively. (Photo 1 © Lim Yong Teck/Red Sports)

National Stadium, Wednesday, June 10, 2015 — Singapore’s representatives Nicole Liaw and Eliza Ng finished 5th and 6th respectively in the women’s 800m race at the athletics competition at the 28th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, with Nicole setting a new personal best with a time of 2 minutes 22.27 seconds.

It was a good day for Vietnam on the track, as she swept both the South East Asian (SEA) Games men’s and women’s 800m events. Do Thi Thao dominated the women’s 800 m, leading from start to end to win gold. She finished with a time of 2:05.22, five seconds ahead of her nearest competitor, Myint Swe Li from Myanmar.

The men’s 800m, on the other hand, was more closely contested, with Duong Van Thai eventually emerging triumphant in a time of 1:51.43. Singapore’s Zachary Devaraj, five-time National Inter-School 800m champion, clocked a season’s best time of 1:54.35 to finish fifth.

On racing in front of an enthusiastic home crowd cheering him on with chants of “Singapore, Singapore”, Zachary said, “It pumps me up, and I think I caught maybe one or two guys at the end.”

At the end of day two of the athletics competition, Vietnam leads the medal standings with 7 gold, 4 silver and 6 bronze. Singapore is in fifth place place with 3 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze.

Women’s 800m results
1st: Do Thi Thao (VIE) 2:05.22 (Season’s Best)
2nd: Myint Swe Li (MYA) 2:10.21
3rd: Vu Thi Ly (VIE) 2:12.36
4th: Thongsuk Chamaiphon (THA) 2:17.76 (Personal Best)
5th: Nicole Ann Isabella Liaw (SIN) 2:22.27 (PB)
6th: Ng Yu Jun Eliza (SIN) 2:23.78

Men’s 800m results
1st: Duong Van Thai (VIE) 1:51.43
2nd: Guarte Mervin (PHI) 1:51.47 (SB)
3rd: Yaprajan Yothin (THA) 1:52.32
4th: Maniam Kesavan (MAS) 1:53.30
5th: Zachary Ryan Devaraj 1:54.35 (SB)
6th: Pleenaram Jirayu (THA) 1:54.36
7th: Maulas Wenlie (PHI) 1:54.38
8th: Kieng Samorn (CAM) 1:56.26
9th: Le Thanh Hung (VIE) 1:58.27
10th: Savio Dos Santos Domingos (TLS) 1:58.67 (PB)

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