Story by Clement Tan/Red Sports. Pictures by Cheah Wenqi/Red Sports
Wu Shu Han (#409) from Nanyang Girls’ High School clinched the gold medal with a timing of 2:29:33. (Photo 1 © Cheah Wenqi/Red Sports)
Bishan Stadium, Friday, April 21, 2017 — Wu Shu Han of Nanyang Girls’ High School defended her C girls 800 metres title in dominant fashion, while Singapore Sports School’s Harieharan Durairaj shook off the challenge from St Joseph’s Institution’s Arian Zaw to clinch gold in the C boys race at the 58th National Schools Track and Field Championships.
Shu Han’s 2 minutes 29.33 seconds was a cool five seconds faster than second-placed Kylie Tan, the 3000 metres and cross country champion from Cedar Girls’ Secondary School.
Harieharan finished in a time of 2:09.74, emerging victorious after a titanic battle with Arian after both of them had pulled away from the leading pack.
“Leading from the front was something new to me, I thought I was going to follow Arian because this was my first time competing with him,” said Harieharan, for whom this was his first gold medal at the track nationals. He finished third in this event last year.
For Shu Han, there was a downside to her dominance: the lack of competition. She fell about four seconds short of the C girls championship record of 2:25.76, set by Lossini d/o Jeyapandiyen in 2004, then a Singapore Sports School student.
“I’m happy how I ran, but I felt I could have gone a bit faster,” she said.
Shu Han’s time is the fastest in the C Division this decade since Carys Hor, a Nanyang Girls’ alumnus, ran 2:28.48 in 2011.
C Division Girls 800 Metres Final Top Eight
1st Wu Shu Han (#409 Nanyang Girls’ High School) 2 minutes 29.33 seconds
2nd Kylie Tan (#259 Cedar Girls’ Secondary) 2:34.68
3rd Felicia Sng (#239 Cedar Girls’ Secondary) 2:37.97
4th Elsie Woo (#408 Nanyang Girls’ High School) 2:38.53
5th Marion Ang (#44 CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’ School) 2:41.20
6th Tyeisha Khoo (#98 Singapore Sports School) 2:41.66
7th Chloe Foo (#34 CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’ School) 2:44.53
8th Athena Hou (#194 Raffles Girls’ School) 2:44.53
C Division Boys 800 Metres Final Top Eight
1st Harieharan s/o Durairaj (#114 Singapore Sports School) 2 minutes 09.74 seconds
2nd Arian Zaw (#268 St Joseph’s Institution) 2:11.75
3rd Aeron Young (#462 Hwa Chong Institution) 2:16.12
4th Shan s/o Anandan (#127 Singapore Sports School) 2:16.76
5th Tay Yen Yew (#487 Hwa Chong Institution) 2:18.47
6th Abdul Raheem s/o Abdul Salim (#97 Northbrooks Secondary) 2:18.50
7th Jeffers Wong (#507 Nan Hua High School) 2:18.67
8th Joshua Khoo (#49 Catholic High School) 2:19.13
More photos next page
Leave A Comment