Story by Clement Tan/Red Sports. Photos by Cheah Wenqi and Jerald Ang/Red Sports.

Elizabeth-Ann Tan (#398) of Nanyang Girls’ High keeps the lead over her competitors in the last leg of the C Division girls’ 4x100m relay. (Photo 1 © Jerald Ang/Red Sports)

National Stadium, Friday, 28 April, 2017 — Nanyang Girls’ High School won both relays in the C Division girls competition, the only titles that eluded the Singapore Sports School as they claimed the other six relay gold medals on offer across the two junior divisions at the 58th National Schools Track and Field Championships.

Nanyang Girls’ C Division relay teams were anchored by 80m hurdles-100m double gold medallist Elizabeth-Ann Tan and 800m-1500m champion Wu Shu Han. The girls clocked 50.04 seconds in the 400m relay — their best this season — and 4 minutes 15.68 seconds in the 1600m relay, bringing their school’s gold medal haul up to seven in the C division alone this year.

“The relays are always the most exciting. I am very proud of them, a lot of sacrifice and hard work were involved,” said a beaming Heng Boey Hong, the Nanyang Girls’ principal. “I knew they were good, but I didn’t know they were that good!”

The Sports School finished second to Nanyang in both C girls relays, but they were dominant elsewhere. Even when there was a hint the lead held by Harieharan Durairaj looked like diminishing as he anchored the Sports School’s C boys 4 by 400m relay, he managed to pull away in the final 150 metres.

“I was trying to make sure I had enough to finish the race fast,” said Harie, the 800m C boys champion who lost the gold medal in the 1500m by 0.34s. “I slowed down and staggered my kick. I didn’t want what happened in the 1500m to happen again because I didn’t want to affect the team.”

In the end, Harie helped his team claim gold in 3 minutes 47.35 seconds, ahead of Hwa Chong Institution and Raffles Institution, quartets that were anchored by the 400m silver medalist Or Yong Hur and gold medallist Ho Zhe Xi, respectively.

There were some stunning individual runs that helped two schools claim medals in the 4 by 400m relays.

Raffles Girls’ School was only fifth in the B girls 4 by 400m when anchor leg runner Grace Shani Anthony received the baton — she ended in second place, helping RGS to a silver. Ho Zhi Xuan ran an astonishing final 150m to claw from fifth to third in the C girls 4 by 400m relay, helping CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’ School to a bronze medal.

“All I wanted to do was to chase down as many ahead of me as possible,” said Zhi Xuan, who was fourth in the individual 100m C girls final and second in the 80m hurdles. “We finished third in the 4 by 400 at the SPH relays, I just wanted to maintain that top three placing.”

C Division Girls 4x100m Relay Final
1st Nanyang Girls’ High School 50.04 seconds
2nd Singapore Sports School 51.84
3rd Cedar Girls’ Secondary 52.37
4th CHIJ Secondary (Toa Payoh) 53.02
5th Hua Yi Secondary 54.19
6th CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’ School 54.41
7th Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary 54.75
8th Raffles Girls’ School 54.80
Watch a video of the race here.

C Division Boys 4x100m Relay Final
1st Singapore Sports School 44.92 seconds
2nd Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) 46.07
3rd Hwa Chong Institution 46.67
4th Victoria School 46.86
5th Catholic High School 47.93
6th Raffles Institution 48.00
7th Admiralty Secondary 48.73
8th Nan Chiau High School 49.19
Watch a video of the race here.

B Division Girls 4x100m Relay Final
1st Singapore Sports School 49.26 seconds
2nd Cedar Girls’ Secondary 50.31
3rd Nanyang Girls’ High School 51.05
4th Raffles Girls’ School 51.07
5th CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’ School 51.66
6th CHIJ Secondary (Toa Payoh) 52.23
7th National Junior College 52.44
8th St Anthony’s Canossian Secondary 53.39
Watch a video of the race here.

B Division Boys 4x100m Relay Final
1st Singapore Sports School 43.04 seconds
2nd Raffles Institution 44.19
3rd Catholic High School 44.62
4th St Joseph’s Institution 44.66
5th Hwa Chong Institution 44.67
6th Victoria School 44.93
7th Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) 45.29
8th Chung Cheng High School (Main) 46.00
Watch a video of the race here.

C Division Girls 4x400m Relay Final
1st Nanyang Girls’ High School 04 minutes 15.68 seconds
2nd Singapore Sports School 04:20.24
3rd CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’ School 04:28.34
4th Cedar Girls’ Secondary 04:28.85
5th Crescent Girls’ School 04:30.98
6th CHIJ Secondary (Toa Payoh) 04:36.25
7th Dunman High School 04:41.01
8th Ahmad Ibrahim Secondary 04:45.99
Watch a video of the race here.

C Division Boys 4x400m Relay Final
1st Singapore Sports School 3 minutes 47.35 seconds
2nd Hwa Chong Institution 03:48.03
3rd Raffles Institution 03:50.36
4th Catholic High School 03:56.12
5th Gan Eng Seng School 03:56.80
6th Tanjong Katong Secondary School 03:59.09
7th St Joseph’s Institution 04:00.05
8th Victoria School 04:00.22
Watch a video of the race here.

B Division Girls 4x400m Relay Final
1st Singapore Sports School 4 minutes 16.96 seconds
2nd Raffles Girls’ School 04:18.93
3rd CHIJ Secondary (Toa Payoh) 04:19.36
4th CHIJ St Nicholas Girls’ School 04:19.67
5th Nanyang Girls’ High School 04:20.76
6th Dunman High School 04:24.71
7th Cedar Girls’ Secondary School 04:25.13
8th North Vista Secondary 04:33.62
Watch a video of the race here.

B Division Boys 4x400m Relay Final
1st Singapore Sports School 3 minutes 29.78 seconds
2nd Raffles Institution 03:36.85
3rd Hwa Chong Institution 03:37.15
4th North Vista Secondary 03:37.98
5th St Joseph’s Institution 03:44.03
6th Gan Eng Seng School 03:44.68
7th Victoria School 03:44.86
8th Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) 03:45.05
Watch a video of the race here.

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