By REDintern Justin Surin
Fang Jianyong crossing the finishing line first in the 1500m final. (Photo 1 © Les Tan/Red Sports)
Singapore Polytechnic, Saturday, January 18, 2014 — Fang Jianyong of the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) once again produced an impressive front-running performance to clinch the 1500m gold. This win cemented his status as the middle distance king of this edition of the Institute-Varsity-Polytechnic (IVP) Track and Field Championships. He had won the 800m title a week ago by nearly six seconds.
Taking the lead right from the gun, Jianyong ran a fast yet consistent pace to drop the entire field by the second lap. Jianyong’s timing of 4 minutes 14.38 seconds broke his previous personal best of 4:15.80 by more than a second.
Wilbert Ho of the National University of Singapore (NUS) finished second in a timing of 4:23.43 while Albert Chang of Ngee Ann Polytechnic was third in 4:30.51.
The double was always on the cards for Jianyong, who was the outright favourite. With what is fast becoming a familiar sight in his middle distance races, he took the lead right from the start and proceeded to punish the trailing pack with his blistering pace. All competition was effectively neutralized by the second lap as it became a battle between Jianyong and the clock.
“I planned to go at 17s per 100m, on course for a 4:15 finishing time,” he revealed.
Happy with his new personal best, he credited his training partners Mok Ying Ren, Russell Ericksen, Ivan Low and Chua You Boon.
“Without the help of these guys, I wouldn’t have been able to do it,” he added.
With a long-term goal of going sub-4:00 in this event, Jianyong still has some work to do, though he finds it no burden.
“Running is not just a sport, it’s a lifestyle.”
1500m Results (Top 8)
1st Fang Jian Yong (#288, SIM) – 4:14.38
2nd Wilbert Ho (#163, NUS) – 4:23.43
3rd Albert Chang (#212, NP) – 4:30.51
4th Ang Xinyao Desmond (#311, SMU) – 4:30.91
5th Chan Jia Hao (#155, NUS) – 4:31.65
6th Darren Toh Choon Boon (#335, SMU) – 4:35.53
7th Rajendharan Maran (#59, NYP) – 4:36.49
8th Yeung Cheuk Heng (#432, TP) – 4:39.56
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