SEA Games: Singapore men's canoe team capture first-ever golds Published on Jun 6, 2015 10:59 AM Singapore's Brandon Ooi (right) and Bill Lee wining the gold in the SEA Games canoeing Men's K2-1000m final held at the Marina Channel on June 6, 2015. -- ST PHOTO: NEO XIAOBIN http://www.straitstimes.com/sites/straitstimes.com/files/20150606/canoe02060615e.jpg Singapore's Lucas Teo (right) winning a gold in the SEA Games canoeing Men's K1-1000m final held at the Marina Channel on June 6, 2015. -- ST PHOTO: NEO XIAOBIN http://www.straitstimes.com/sites/straitstimes.com/files/20150606/02canoe060615e_0.jpg The Singapore flag being raised at the Marina Channel during the victory ceremony for the SEA Games' canoeing men's K2-1000m final. -- ST PHOTO: NEO XIAOBIN http://www.straitstimes.com/sites/straitstimes.com/files/20150606/03canoe060615e.jpg Singapore's Brandon Ooi (left) and Bill Lee won the SEA Games' canoeing Men's K2-1000m final held at the Marina Channel on June 6, 2015. -- ST PHOTO: NEO XIAOBIN http://www.straitstimes.com/sites/straitstimes.com/files/20150606/05canoe060615e_0.jpg (From left) Gold medalists Lucas Teo, Bill Lee and Brandon Ooi with their medals. -- ST PHOTO: NEO XIAOBIN By Charmaine Ng SINGAPORE - Singapore's canoeing men's team won their first gold medals in SEA Games history on Saturday morning when its canoeists enjoyed a double triumph at the K1 and K2 1000m races. In the K1, Lucas Teo turned the tables on his rival Wichan Jaitieng when the Singaporean finished first in 3min 43.036sec. The Thai, who beat Teo at the 2011 Games in Indonesia in the same event, had to settle for silver when he finished 2.09sec behind. Myanmar's Aung Myo Thu was a further 3 secs back in third. Half an hour later at the Marina Channel, Brandon Ooi and Bill Lee emerged champions in the K2 race to collect the Republic's second gold on the first day of the canoeing competition. The pair clocked 3:26.002 to finish ahead of Thailand (3:28.645) and Indonesia (3:30.091). Indonesia meanwhile, picked up its first gold medal of the 28th edition of the SEA Games after Marjuki Marjuki was victorious in the men's C1 1000m event (4:02.349). Thailand won the men's K4 1000m race (3:04.781) while Myanmar won the men's C2 1000m event (3:43.814).
SEA Games: Soh Rui Yong wins marathon gold Soh Rui Yong celebrates with his friends and family members. Photo:... [More] Soh Rui Yong celebrates after crossing the finishing line in the men's... [More] Soh Rui Yong (in white, at front) during the marathon event. Photo:... [More] Soh Rui Yong celebrates with the Singapore flag after winning the men's... [More] By Low Lin Fhoong linfhoong@mediacorp.com.sg - Published: 9:05 AM, June 7, 2015 SINGAPORE — A marathon is a race run over 42.195km, but today’s (June 7) SEA Games men’s marathon final proved instead to be a heart-stopping sprint to the finish for Singapore’s Soh Rui Yong in only his second competitive marathon ever. A favourite for the title, the Games debutant did not disappoint the 200-strong crowd who braved the rain at the Kallang Practice Track today, winning the gold in 2hr 34min 56sec to claim the Republic’s first athletics gold at the Games. Thailand’s Srisung Boonthung finished second in 2:35:09, while Vietnam’s Hoang Nguyen Thanh was third with a timing of 2:37:10. The 12-strong marathon pack was greeted with a light drizzle at the start-line during the 6am flag-off, and the heavens opened up almost midway through the race. But the crowd — some still dressed in their race attire from the Nila Run for the public, held in conjunction with the Games — were at the track to watch Soh unleash a final kick in the last 300m to speed past Srisung. The Singaporean sprinted home, raising both arms in victory and letting out a loud roar as he crossed the finish line, much to the delight of the crowd as Singapore Athletics president Tang Weng Fei rushed forward to congratulate Soh. Soh’s victory at the Games is the second marathon gold won by Team Singapore at the biennial event after Mok Ying Ren’s historic gold in Myanmar in 2013. “I was touched to see everyone out here. I was going to go for gold,” said Soh. “Mok Ying Ren set the bar really high, and putting the marathon on the first day of track events because we won it the last time gave me some pressure. But winning a gold medal feels ‘shiok’!” The gold had almost slipped out of Soh’s reach early in the race, when the runners were directed down the wrong route at the 6km mark, leaving him near the bottom of the pack before he caught up at the halfway point. With race favourite Eduardo Buenavista of the Philippines fizzling out, it became a three-way tussle between Soh, Srisung and Hoang, who dropped off the pace with 4km left. Added Soh: “It was a terrible day because it was pouring and it was super windy. But I knew it would come down to a sprint so I sat on him, and let him run the pace. Today wasn’t the day to run fast. I saw my former coach Steven Quek on the course and he told me to be patient, and he’s been telling me that since I was 16. At the last 300m, I saw him (Srisung) stumble a little. So I ran next to him, gave him a stare and I was off.” With the SEA Games gold in the bag, Soh now has a bigger target in mind: Qualifying for the 2016 Olympics. He plans to train full-time for at least six months in Flagstaff, Arizona, after he graduates from the University of Oregon at the end of this year. “I need to clock 2:17:00 to qualify, and will be the first Singaporean to qualify for the marathon at the Olympics if I do it. I give myself a 20 per cent chance (of qualifying), but even if it’s one per cent, I’ll take it,” he said. Other marathon results: Singapore’s Ashley Liew finished eighth in the men’s marathon in 2:44:02, while Rachel See and Neo Jie Shi finished sixth and eighth respectively in 3:18:14 and 3:35:54 in the women’s event. The women’s marathon gold was won by Thailand’s Natthaya Thanaronnawat, who clocked 3:03:25, while the silver and bronze went to Mary Joy Tabal of the Philippines (3:04:39) and Hoang Thi Thanh (3:07:14) respectively.
SEA Games: Aide affected by quake as Young Lions see off Cambodia Faris Ramli celebrating with his team-mates after scoring Singapore's second goal against Cambodia. Photo: Jason Quah By Ian De Cotta ian@mediacorp.com.sg - Published: 4:16 AM, June 9, 2015 SINGAPORE — It was an emotional night for Singapore’s SEA Games football team, and not just because they were elated that their 3-1 win over Cambodia at Jalan Besar Stadium has given them a fighting chance to make the semi-finals of the football competition. On a night when there was a minute’s silence as a mark of respect for those who died in the Sabah earthquake, Young Lions coach Aide Iskandar revealed the disaster had affected him personally. Among those who perished were eight students from Tanjong Katong Primary School (TKPS), while a student and a teacher are still missing Wearing a white T-shirt “We are with you TKPS”, which his players also wore during the pre-match warm-up session, Aide said his two sons study in the school and knew those who died and were injured. “It was very sad to see this situation because it could have been my son instead,” said Aide. “This is the reason why we have these T-shirts, to show our support to them, and tomorrow the whole team will be visiting the school to show that we are with them.” On the pitch it was mission accomplished for the players, who also wore black armbands to mourn the victims. It was not the best of their performances, but there was a sense of urgency. Irfan Fandi started in the competition for the first time and the 17-year-old troubled the Cambodian defence and laid a pass for Faris Ramli just before the break to give Singapore a 2-0 lead, after Safirul Sulaiman had given the hosts the lead a minute earlier. Although Cambodia reduced the deficit when substitute Vanthanaka Chan headed home in the second half, Sahil Suhaimi finally broke his duck in the competition when he raced clear to beat Cambodian goalkeeper Serei Rath Um in the final minute. “I got most of the negative comments, but I put it all aside and just focused on what I had to do to get three points,” said Sahil. “My coach (Aide) also said if I don’t push myself too hard, the goals will come and tonight’s goal is probably a sign of more goals coming from me.” The Young Lions must beat third-placed Indonesia — who have played one match less and face the Philippines today — in their final Group A match on Thursday to be sure of reaching the semi-finals, and Aide stressed they cannot continue to spurn the chances they had against Cambodia if they are to reach the last four. There was some drama at the post-match conference when Cambodian team manager Chhaing Pisedth vented his team’s frustration at the Singapore SEA Games Organising Committee. He said: “The food we were served was not very good, and when we needed transport to watch other matches in our group, they did not provide us with transport. My players have expressed their dissatisfaction in the survey form they provided us with.” WHAT NEXT FOR SINGAPORE: To qualify for the semi-finals, Singapore must beat Indonesia in their final Group A match on Thursday to be sure of finishing in the top two. If Indonesia loses to the Philippines today, then Singapore only need a draw to progress.
SEA Games Day 3 Wrap: Team Singapore poised to surpass record 1993 haul, now on 41 go Published on Jun 8, 2015 11:59 PM Swimmers Joseph Schooling (left) and Quah Zheng Wen (right) hoisting the Singapore flag high after Day 3 of the swimming competition. Schooling has four golds so far, while Quah is not far behind with three. -- ST PHOTO: ONG WEE JIN SINGAPORE - Team Singapore are well and truly on their way to surpassing their record 50-gold haul from the 1993 SEA Games, pocketing a superb 15 golds across six sports on Day 3. Late wins for the the men's and women's table tennis team pushed the Republic's overall gold tally to 41, cementing its status as top dog on the medal standings for the third straight day.
SEA Games: Two more golds for S’pore sailing Singapore's Bernie Chin Cheok Khoon in action during the Male Youth Laser Radial yesterday (June 8). Photo: Singapore SEA Games Organising Committee/Action Images via Reuters By Ian De Cotta ian@mediacorp.com.sg - Published: 3:37 PM, June 9, 2015 SINGAPORE — Singapore’s Bernie Chin breezed through the Men’s Youth Laser Radial race to win Singapore’s second gold in sailing today (June 9). Thailand’s Apiwat Sringam and Malaysia’s Asri Azman are tied in second and judges are conducting count back to decide the silver and bronze medallists. Shortly after, Singapore picked up their third sailing gold of the day when the team of Stanley Chan, Anthony Kiong, Colin Ng raced to the finish first ahead of the Philippines and Thailand in the Men's Keelboat Fleet Racing. With three countries competing, no bronze was awarded for this race.
SEA Games: Singapore clinch two golds, one silver in 10m air rifle Published on Jun 6, 2015 11:37 AM Jasmine Ser (above), Tessa Neo and Martina Lindsay Veloso beat rivals Malaysia with a convincing total score of 1233.9 points in the event. -- PHOTO: ST FILE By Lim Ching Ying SINGAPORE - Singapore's women's shooters have won the first shooting gold at the 28th SEA Games, clinching the women's 10m air rifle team gold on Saturday morning. Jasmine Ser, Tessa Neo and Martina Lindsay Veloso beat rivals Malaysia with a convincing total score of 1233.9 points in the event. The silver medallists had scored 1222.9 while Thailand took bronze with 1219.2 points. In the afternoon's nail-biting final, Singapore's Tessa Neo, 17, took the individual gold medal with a score of 207.0 points. She beat top qualifier Jasmine Ser, 24, who took silver with 204.9 points. Although the Republic's final shooter, Martina Lindsay Veloso, came in third (184.0) in the final, the bronze medal was awarded to Malaysia's Nur Ayuni Abdul Halim (160.7) as countries may only win a maximum of two individual medals per event. The team's dominance, however, was evident to the 250 supporters at the indoor shooting range, with Martina 2.8 points clear of her Malaysian opponent when going into the bronze medal shoot-off. "I'm very, very excited because it's my first Games, and my first Games gold," said Tessa, who thanked her coach and family for supporting her and pushing her to train. "Can I just say that it's the best final ever?" In the men's 10m air rifle, Singapore's only representative Royce Chan finished fifth with a total of 138.9 points. Thailand enjoyed a one-two finish with shooters Ponsatong Panyatong (207.9) and Napis Tortungpanich (206.8), leaving Jayson Valdez of the Philippines to take bronze (181.0). The Singapore team finished fourth in the team event earlier in the morning
SEA Games: Swimmers' four-gold haul on Wednesday takes Singapore tally to 60 Published on Jun 10, 2015 9:06 PM Singapore's Roanne Ho celebrates after winning the gold medal at the 28th SEA Games Women's 50m Breaststroke event. -- ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM http://www.straitstimes.com/sites/straitstimes.com/files/20150610/jdjoscho10e.jpg Joseph Schooling kept up his golden run, adding two golds for the Republic. -- ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM By Chua Siang Yee SINGAPORE - Singapore's swimmers won four of six golds to take the Republic's tally to 60 golds at the 28th SEA Games. Roanne Ho started the gold rush by winning the country's first breaststroke gold of this Games. Ho, who set a Games and national record of 32sec in the heats, touched home in 31.45 to win and rewrite her own mark. Malaysia's Phee Jing En was second on 32.46, while Phee's team-mate Erika Kong finished third in 32.58sec. Joseph Schooling kept up his golden run, adding two golds for the Republic. He won the 50m butterfly in a Games record time of 23.49, just outside his Asian record of 23.43. Schooling added another gold in the 200m individual medley, clocking a Games record 2min 00.66sec (2:00.66). Compatriot Quah Zheng Wen was second in 2:02.22. Singapore's fourth and 60th gold came from the women's 4x100m medley relay team of Ho, Tao Li, Quah Ting Wen, and Amanda Lim. Vietnam won the remaining two golds of the night. Swimming machine Nguyen Thi Anh Vien won her seventh gold of the meet in the 400m freestyle, while colleague Lam Quang Nhat won the men's 1500m freestyle.
Day 6 MEDAL TALLY [TABLE] [TR] [TD="class: img-space-left, bgcolor: #ececec, align: left"]COUNTRY [/TD] [TD="bgcolor: #ececec, align: center"] GOLD [/TD] [TD="bgcolor: #ececec, align: center"] SILVER [/TD] [TD="bgcolor: #ececec, align: center"] BRONZE [/TD] [TD="bgcolor: #ececec, align: center"]TOTAL[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: tr-even"] [TD="class: img-space-left, align: left"] SIN[/TD] [TD="class: subheader2, align: center"]60[/TD] [TD="class: subheader2, align: center"]51[/TD] [TD="class: subheader2, align: center"]65[/TD] [TD="class: subheader2, align: center"]176[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: tr-odd"] [TD="class: img-space-left, align: left"] VIE[/TD] [TD="class: subheader2, align: center"]50[/TD] [TD="class: subheader2, align: center"]23[/TD] [TD="class: subheader2, align: center"]44[/TD] [TD="class: subheader2, align: center"]117[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: tr-even"] [TD="class: img-space-left, align: left"] THA[/TD] [TD="class: subheader2, align: center"]47[/TD] [TD="class: subheader2, align: center"]57[/TD] [TD="class: subheader2, align: center"]43[/TD] [TD="class: subheader2, align: center"]147[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: tr-odd"] [TD="class: img-space-left, align: left"] MAS[/TD] [TD="class: subheader2, align: center"]27[/TD] [TD="class: subheader2, align: center"]31[/TD] [TD="class: subheader2, align: center"]38[/TD] [TD="class: subheader2, align: center"]96[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: tr-even"] [TD="class: img-space-left, align: left"] INA[/TD] [TD="class: subheader2, align: center"]24[/TD] [TD="class: subheader2, align: center"]29[/TD] [TD="class: subheader2, align: center"]43[/TD] [TD="class: subheader2, align: center"]96[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: tr-odd"] [TD="class: img-space-left, align: left"] PHI[/TD] [TD="class: subheader2, align: center"]22[/TD] [TD="class: subheader2, align: center"]23[/TD] [TD="class: subheader2, align: center"]36[/TD] [TD="class: subheader2, align: center"]81[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: tr-even"] [TD="class: img-space-left, align: left"] MYA[/TD] [TD="class: subheader2, align: center"]11[/TD] [TD="class: subheader2, align: center"]21[/TD] [TD="class: subheader2, align: center"]20[/TD] [TD="class: subheader2, align: center"]52[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: tr-odd"] [TD="class: img-space-left, align: left"] CAM[/TD] [TD="class: subheader2, align: center"]1[/TD] [TD="class: subheader2, align: center"]4[/TD] [TD="class: subheader2, align: center"]3[/TD] [TD="class: subheader2, align: center"]8[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: tr-even"] [TD="class: img-space-left, align: left"] LAO[/TD] [TD="class: subheader2, align: center"]0[/TD] [TD="class: subheader2, align: center"]3[/TD] [TD="class: subheader2, align: center"]12[/TD] [TD="class: subheader2, align: center"]15[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: tr-odd"] [TD="class: img-space-left, align: left"] BRU[/TD] [TD="class: subheader2, align: center"]0[/TD] [TD="class: subheader2, align: center"]0[/TD] [TD="class: subheader2, align: center"]5[/TD] [TD="class: subheader2, align: center"]5[/TD] [/TR] [TR="class: tr-even"] [TD="class: img-space-left, align: left"] TLS[/TD] [TD="class: subheader2, align: center"]0[/TD] [TD="class: subheader2, align: center"]0[/TD] [TD="class: subheader2, align: center"]1[/TD] [TD="class: subheader2, align: center"]1 [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]
SEA Games: Surprise wins add to S’pore’s golden haul Veronica Shanti Pereira wins the gold medal in the Women's 200m final.... [More] Singapore’s Zhang Guirong won gold at the the 28th SEA Games women’s... [More] Singapore women's 4x100m medley relay team celebrates after winning the... [More] Singapore's Keith Saw (L) and Howard Saw celebrate with their gold... By Low Lin Fhoong - linfhoong@mediacorp.com.sg - Published: 4:16 AM, June 11, 2015 SINGAPORE — Just a day after Singapore won its 52nd gold medal to break their previous SEA Games record haul of 50 set in 1993, the gold medals continued to pour in yesterday from the favourites as well as the surprise winners from athletics, bowling and swimming. The performance of the day was delivered by sprinter Shanti Pereira, who won the women’s 200m final in a national record of 23.60sec. It was Singapore’s first gold in the event since Glory Barnabas won in the 1973 Games in Singapore. It was also the first Games gold in a women’s track event since Chee Swee Lee won the 400m and 800m at the 1975 Games in Bangkok. since Chee Swee Lee won the 400m and 800m at the 1975 Games in Bangkok. Pereira’s win came after veteran thrower Zhang Guirong secured Singapore’s second gold in athletics at this SEA Games, when she won the shot put with a heave of 14.60m, ahead of Thailand’s Sawitri Thongchao (13.62m) and Areerat Intadis (13.31m). At the OCBC Aquatic Centre, swimming sensation Joseph Schooling won his seventh and eighth gold medals last night, both in Games record times. And at the Orchid Country Club, brothers Howard and Keith Saw clinched the men’s doubles to end an eight-year drought at the SEA Games for the Republic’s men’s bowling team. Windsurfer Audrey Yong also secured Singapore’s first Games gold in the women’s RS:X class. But arguably the performance of the day came from Pereira, whose lung-bursting run in front of 11,257 fans at the National Stadium in the last 60m saw her powering past favourite Kayla Anise Richardson of the Philippines (23.71) and Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Oanh (23.92), the silver and bronze medallists, respectively. “It feels amazing,” said Pereira, 18, who was greeted with a teary hug by coach Margaret Oh right after her victory. “I’m so happy I didn’t even know I was going to win. I definitely did not expect a gold medal. My goal was to catch whoever was in front of me ... I can’t describe the feeling, it’s amazing especially with everyone in the stadium. I can’t stop smiling, and this is going to be plastered on my face forever.” Barnabas is confident Pereira can leave her mark on an even bigger stage in the future. Said the 72-year-old: “The gold itself speaks volumes; this is surely the way to raise the standards of our athletes, and we can’t remain stagnant (in the region).” Asked if she thought Pereira would be able to emulate Chee’s success at the 1974 Asian Games, when she won the 400m, Barnabas added: “Yes, why not? She is also a good candidate for the 400m. She’s good, and she can continue running into her late 20s and 30s.” But gold was not the only colour that shone brightest yesterday, as others dug deep, including boxers Mohamed Hanurdeen Hamid and Tay Jia Wei, whose two silvers were Singapore’s first in the sport since Sevakumaran Pakakrishna’s silver (men’s 45kg category) in 1993. Dipna Lim-Prasad also won the silver medal in the women’s 400m hurdles in 59.24secs, behind winner Nguyen Thi Huyen (56.15) of Vietnam, and ahead of bronze medallist Wassana Winatho (1min 01.69secs) of Thailand. At press time last night, hosts Singapore continued to lead the 11-nation medal standings with 60 gold, 51 silver and 64 bronze. Vietnam was second (48-23-44), and Thailand third (46-54-41). The Games ends on June 16, and on how many more medals Singapore can win, national badminton player Derek Wong said: “It depends on how much each athlete wants it and for them to give their all to vindicate the sweat and tears they’ve put in.” ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY NOAH TAN
Shanti in her blaze of glory Sprinter's gold medal in 'perfect race' emulates Barnabas' victory in 1973 Published on Jun 11, 2015 7:02 AM Singapore's Shanti Pereira celebrating while crossing the finish line to win the women's 200m final at the National Stadium yesterday, having taken the outright lead from the bend onwards. -- PHOTO: EUROPEAN PRESSPHOTO AGENCY http://www.straitstimes.com/sites/straitstimes.com/files/20150611/ST_20150611_SPTSHAN11_1398745e.jpg Her 200m gold medal around her neck, the 18-year-old - who won a bronze in the 100m a day earlier - holds the national flag while being embraced by her parents. -- ST PHOTO: DESMOND FOO By May Chen THE raucous spectators quietened gradually into silence as the sprinters took to the starting blocks for the women's 200m race. Anticipation was thick in the air yesterday at the National Stadium. Perhaps the 11,257-strong crowd felt that Shanti Pereira, 18, was about to make history. And Singapore's newest sprint queen certainly did, emerging from the bend with a strong lead in what was described by officials later as a "perfect race", clocking 23.60sec to clinch the gold and lower the national record for the second time in a day. Her arms aloft, her right index finger raised to the skies as she strode across the finish line, it was then that celebrations erupted and tears flowed. Not since Glory Barnabas at the 1973 edition - when the biennial affair was still called the South-east Asian Peninsular Games - has Singapore tasted success in this event. Said Shanti, who also won a bronze in the blue-riband 100m sprint the day before: "I'm so crazily happy, I can't describe how I feel right now. "I definitely wanted a medal but I didn't want to be stressed out over it, because I knew if I were (anxious), I would end up not doing as well." Qualifying for the final with the second-fastest time of 23.82 - eclipsing her 2014 national mark of 23.99 - the Republic Polytechnic student admitted she had felt intimidated and nervous ahead of her pet event. While the 100m bronze provided confidence, Shanti was particularly wary of 100m winner Kayla Richardson of the Philippines, who had qualified fastest in the heats with a time of 23.67. "Seeing how she did (in the 100m) and in the heats today, I knew she was my strongest competitor," said Shanti. Her coach Margaret Oh, however, had more faith in her charge's abilities. Said an emotional Oh, still wiping tears of joy from her cheeks: "All along, Shanti has been more confident in the 200m. (I knew) she was in control of this race and she ran perfectly. "It's been a very tough few months (of training), but I'm very happy that (she) was able to achieve what I wasn't able to do." Barnabas, who watched the race from the stands, is confident Shanti can go even faster. She told The Straits Times: "She's got age on her side and plenty of time to go out and perform at even bigger events." Shanti's win capped a stellar day for Team Singapore in the athletics competition. Thrower Zhang Guirong delivered a gold in the women's shot put event, the 37-year-old's sixth straight title in this event. Her distance of 14.60m, while a far cry from her 2005 national record of 18.57m, was good enough to put her ahead of Thailand's Sawitri Thongchao (13.62m) and Areerat Intadis (13.31m). Said Zhang: "This is my seventh SEA Games but the feeling I had today walking into the stadium is so different from the past. "I'm getting on in age, but as long as Singapore needs me, I will still be there at the next SEA Games." Dipna Lim-Prasad got the Republic off to a good start when she took silver in the women's 400m hurdles in 59.24, re-writing her own national record of 59.59 set in May. She finished behind Vietnam's Nguyen Thi Huyen, who set a Games record of 56.15, and ahead of Thai Wassana Winatho (1:01.69). It marked a comeback for the 24-year-old, who had struggled with a hamstring and hip injury. Last night's race, in fact, was just the sixth time she has hurdled in the last 2-1/2 months. Said Lim-Prasad: "My preparation hasn't been ideal, but I'm just counting my blessings that I was able to finish and get a strong podium finish." Last night, even with all the events for the day completed, the majority of the spectators continued to linger in the stadium. They were waiting for the final victory ceremony of the day - when the Majulah Singapura would be played in Shanti's honour. Having waited 42 years for the National Anthem to be played for a victorious woman sprinter, one hour more clearly did not matter.
SEA Games: Gold for Singapore shooters as men's 50m pistol trio come out tops Published on Jun 11, 2015 11:28 AM Host Singapore's 50m pistol team of Gai Bin, Nigel Lim and Poh Lip Meng struck their first gold at this SEA Games, combining to register 1,632 points, ahead of Vietnam (1,626) and Malaysia (1,615). -- PHOTO: ST SPORTS DESK/TWITTER By Lim Ching Ying SINGAPORE - Singapore's shooters clinched their first gold at the National Shooting Centre on Thursday morning, after four days of near-misses. The men's 50m pistol team of Gai Bin, Lim Swee Hon and Poh Lip Meng combined for a total of 1,632 points to take the team gold medal, finishing ahead of Vietnam (1,626) and Myanmar (1,615). Although the trio were unable to add another gold despite all qualifying for the individual final, the team of veterans were delighted with their gold. "The team (events) are usually very competitive, especially for the last few SEA Games," said Poh. "Today, we did better, and Vietnam were slightly behind us, so it was good." The women's 25m pistol team, however, finished an agonising single point behind gold medal winners Thailand, scoring 1,736 points to the Thai team's 1,737 to settle for silver. Teh Xiu Hong qualified in first place for the afternoon's gold medal shootout but lost 7-1 to Malaysia's Alia Sazana Azahari to clinch another silver. Team-mates Teo Shun Xie, who won an individual 10m pistol gold on Sunday, and defending champion Nicole Tan, finished sixth and fifth respectively.
Singapore women's 4x400m runners smash 41-year national record Published on Jun 11, 2015 8:43 PM Singapore's 4x400m relay quartet of (from left) Dipna Lim-Prasad, T. Piriyah, Goh Chui Ling and Shanti Pereira smashed a 41-year-old national record but could only finish fourth. -- ST PHOTO: MAY CHEN By May Chen SINGAPORE - They may not have won a medal, but the Singapore women's 4x400m quartet did well enough to smash a national record that stood for 41 years in the event on Thursday at the SEA Games. Consisting of T. Piriyah, Dipna Lim-Prasad, Goh Chui Ling and anchored by Shanti Pereira, the team clocked 3:40.58 to finish fourth out of the four teams. Their timing eclipses the 3:43.85 set by Glory Barnabas, Maimoon Azian, Lee Tai Jong and Chee Swee Lee at the Asian Games in 1974. Vietnam took the gold in a new Games record of 3:31.46, finishing ahead of Thailand (3:36.82) and Malaysia (3:39.10). The men's 4x400m quartet, made up of Tan Zong Yang, Kenneth Khoo, Seow Yeong Yang and Raymond Scott Lee, finished fifth out of five teams in their race. They clocked 3:17.44. Thailand pipped the Philippines to the title in a photo finish, finishing in 3:06.81 to take gold. The Philippine team were second with 3:06.84. Vietnam was third with 3:08.48. Singapore finished the penultimate day of the athletics competition with a silver won by pole vaulter Rachel Yang. She set a new national record of 3.90m en route to winning her silver, the first medal for Singapore in this event at the biennial Games. Other Singaporean athletes in action on the last day of athletics on Friday include high jumper Michelle Sng and the men's 4x100m relay team
Rachel Yang wins pole vault silver - Singapore's first ever in the event Published on Jun 11, 2015 7:56 PM Rachel Yang won Singapore's first ever women's pole vault medal at the SEA Games on Thursday afternoon, clearing 3.90m to take silver at the National Stadium. -- ST PHOTO: ONG WEE JIN By May Chen SINGAPORE - Rachel Yang won Singapore's first ever women's pole vault medal at the SEA Games on Thursday afternoon, clearing 3.90m to take silver at the National Stadium. The 33-year-old's result is also a new national record, eclipsing her own mark of 3.83m set in March. She finished behind Thailand's defending champion Chayanisa Chomchuendee, who put on a dominant showing to clear 4.10m for the gold. The Games record holder (4.21m) also attempted a new personal best and Games mark of 4.22m, but failed. Riezel Buenaventura of the Philippines, a bronze medallist at the 2013 Games, was third with a height of 3.65m. Carmel Teo, Singapore's other representative, equalled her personal best of 3.45m to finish fourth out of the four participating athletes.
SEA Games: Singapore swimmers wrap meet with 23 golds, beating 21-gold haul of 1973 Published on Jun 11, 2015 8:57 PM Singapore's Tao Li reacts after winning the women's 100m butterfly during the 28th SEA Games at OCBC Aquatic Centre on 11 June 2015. -- ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM http://www.straitstimes.com/sites/straitstimes.com/files/20150611/nabmSWIMMING0311615e.jpg Singapore's Quah Zheng Wen wins the gold medal for the 28th SEA Games swimming men's 50m backstroke final held at the OCBC Aquatic Centre on June 11, 2015. - ST PHOTO: NEO XIAOBIN http://www.straitstimes.com/sites/straitstimes.com/files/20150611/nabmSWIMMING11615e_0.jpg Singapore's Quah Zheng Wen, Lionel Khoo, Joseph Schooling and Clement Lim win the gold medal for the 28th SEA Games swimming men's 4x100m medley relay final held at the OCBC Aquatic Centre on June 11, 2015. - ST PHOTO: NEO XIAOBIN By Chua Siang Yee On the final day of the SEA Games swimming meet, Singapore's swimmers surpassed their record 21-gold haul, achieved at the 1973 Southeast-Asian Peninsular Games, ending the six-day competition on Thursday night with 23 golds. Starting the night on 19 golds, the hosts added four more golds to surpass the all-time high mark. Amanda Lim started the rush, winning the 50m freestyle in a Games record time of 25.59sec. Quah Zheng Wen was up next. He completed a backstroke sweep, winning the 50m back in a Games and national record time of 25.27sec to add to his golds in the 100m and 200m events. Tao Li made it 22 golds with a win in the 100m fly, an event she has not lost since 2007. The men's 4x100m medley team of Lionel Khoo, Clement Lim, Quah Zheng Wen and Joseph Schooling capped off the night with a scintillating win, clocking 3:38.25 - a new Games and national record.
SEA Games: Double taekwondo gold for Singapore, Republic's first since 1999 Published on Jun 12, 2015 10:32 AM Taekwondo exponent Chelsea Sim celebrating her win in the women's individual poomsae final. -- ST PHOTO: NEO XIAOBIN http://www.straitstimes.com/sites/straitstimes.com/files/20150612/POOMSAE03e.jpg Taekwondo exponent Chelsea Sim's individual poomsae final routine. -- -- ST PHOTO: NEO XIAOBIN http://www.straitstimes.com/sites/straitstimes.com/files/20150612/goldmedal04120615e.jpg Singapore's Kang Rui Jie won the gold medal for the 28th SEA Games men's individual poomsae finals held at the Singapore Expo Hall 2 on June 12, 2015. -- ST PHOTO: NEO XIAOBIN By Low Jay Sen SINGAPORE - Taekwondo exponent Chelsea Sim has won the gold medal in the women's individual poomsae final - Singapore's first title at the SEA Games since 1999 when S. Sinnathurai won in the men's kyorugi flyweight category. Compatriot Kang Rui Jie also won the gold medal in the corresponding men's poomsae final. The 19-year-old Sim beat off the likes of 2014 poomsae world champion Rinna Babanto of the Philippines at the Singapore Expo Hall 2 on Friday morning, to better her silver medal effort at the 2013 Games. Sim totalled an average of 8.00 over her two routines to see off her closest competitors comfortably, with Babanto settling for the silver on 7.480 points and Indonesia's Habiba Mutiara Mutiara was awarded the bronze medal after scoring 7.365 points. Kang, 20, won the gold with his final score of 8.135 over two routines making him the clear winner over silver medallist Maulana Haidir from Indonesia, who was awarded 7.635 points. Third place went to Malaysian Yong Jin Kun on 7.305 points.
SEA Games: Singapore clinch women's trios gold after doubles disappointment Published on Jun 11, 2015 6:35 PM Singapore's (from left) Cherie Tan, Shayna Ng and Bernice Lim with gold medals from the women's trios event during the 28th SEA Games at Orchid Country Club on June 11, 2015. -- ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM By Jonathan Wong SINGAPORE - Following their disappointing outing in the women's doubles event on Wednesday, Singapore's female bowlers rebounded in style by finishing first and second in the trios event on Thursday. A day after they failed to land a medal in the women's doubles, Cherie Tan, Bernice Lim and Shayna Ng combined for a total of 3,963 pinfalls to claim the trios gold. Compatriots Daphne Tan, New Hui Fen and Jazreel Tan were second with a score of 3,707 pinfalls, while the Philippines' trio of Marie Alexis Sy, Maria Arles and Lara Posadas took bronze with 3,608 pinfalls. In the men's competition, the Republic's team of Javier Tan and brothers Howard and Keith Saw finished second with 3,656 pinfalls, 45 short of champions Rafiq Ismail, Ahmad Muaz and Timmy Tan of Malaysia. Indonesians Ryan Lalisang, Billy Islam and Hardy Rachmadian were third with a score of 3,653. Singapore now have three golds, three silvers and one bronze in the bowling competition at Orchid Country Club, which continues with the team event on Friday and the masters competition on Sunday.
SEA Games: Thailand, led by Asian champ Ratchanok, outclass hosts in badminton semis Published on Jun 11, 2015 2:48 PM Ratchanok Intanon of Thailand serving against Liang Xiaoyu of Singapore in their women's team badminton semi-final at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on June 11, 2015. -- PHOTO: AFP By Nigel Choo SINGAPORE - Host Singapore's shuttlers were no match against the seasoned team from Thailand, losing 0-3 in the badminton women's team semi-finals at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Thursday afternoon. Liang Xiao Yu got off to a hopeful lead in the first singles but Thai star Ratchanok Intanon, fresh from winning the Indonesian Super Series last Sunday, soon beat her 21-17, 21-14. Debuting as a pair, Vanessa Neo and Shinta Mulia Sari lost the first doubles 12-21, 19-21 to Thailand's Sapsiree Taerattanachai and Puttita Supajirakul after a close fight in the second set. Grace Chua, 19 and making her Games debut, lost 6-21, 15-21 to Busanan Ongbumrungpan. Said Ratchanok, who won the 2013 World Championships and is the current Asian champion: "I went in with a mentality that this was training and it helped me relax. "In fact, I play that way for all my competitions now, like the Super series on Sunday - to play for experience. "My goal is to perform at the Olympics (in Rio)."
SEA Games: Singapore men's shuttlers lose 2-3 to Thailand in team s-finals Published on Jun 11, 2015 9:13 PM By Clara Chong SINGAPORE - The Singapore men's badminton team lost narrowly to Thailand 2-3 in the semi-finals of the team competition at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Thursday. Derek Wong had scored an upset win against singles defending champion Tanongsak Saemsomboonsuk from Thailand in first singles, beating him 21-18, 21-19. However, Thai doubles pair N. Puangpuapech and Bodin Issara pulled one point back after defeating Singapore's Chayut Triyachart and Danny Bawa Chrisnanta 21-11, 22-20. In the second singles, Singapore's Loh Kean Yew fought hard against veteran Boonsak Ponsana. Despite taking the first set 21-17, he eventually conceded 18-21, 10-21. (MD2: Terry Hee/ Hendra Wijaya beat Sudket/Pakkawat 21-19, 21-16) (MS3: Ryyan Ng Zin Rei lost to Avihingsanon 14-21, 11-21)
SEA Games: Waterskier Mark Leong sets national and Games record in men's slalom Published on Jun 12, 2015 11:23 AM Singapore waterskier Mark Leong. -- PHOTO: ST FILE By Berenice Low SINGAPORE - Singapore's waterskier Mark Leong finished first in the men's slalom preliminaries with a score of 2.50/58/12.00m, setting a new SEA Games and national record at the Bedok Reservoir on Friday. The 17-year-old broke his own previous national record of 3 buoys on the 12m line, set at the 2015 Indonesian Open in West Bandung. He will compete for gold in the finals on Saturday.
Liew shows what real class is Singapore's Ashley Liew. Photo: Ernest Chua In act of sportsmanship, marathon man waited for rivals who took wrong route By Shanjayan Muniappan shanjayanm@mediacorp.com.sg - Published: 4:16 AM, June 10, 2015 SINGAPORE — It was a decision that could have cost him a SEA Games medal, but Singapore marathon runner Ashley Liew has no regrets in slowing down to almost a crawl to allow his fellow competitors, who had mistakenly followed the wrong route, to recover. At one point during the early stages of Sunday’s 42.195km race, Liew suddenly found himself leading the 12-strong field after his rivals took the wrong path. But instead of taking advantage of his lead, which was about 50m, the Singaporean decided to wait for them. Liew, 28, eventually finished eighth in 2hrs 44min 02secs. The marathon was won by compatriot Soh Rui Yong in 2:34.56, ahead of silver medallist Boothung Srisung (2:35.09) of Thailand and Vietnam’s Nguyen Thanh Hoang, who settled for the bronze (2:37.10). The incident had gone almost unnoticed, and yesterday, Liew told TODAY that his gesture of sportsmanship had been inspired by British Olympic cycling champion Bradley Wiggins, who waited for his competitors to catch up during the 2012 Tour de France after their tyres had been punctured by nails and tacks on the road in what was believed to be an act of sabotage by rivals. “I found myself in pole position. I looked back and all 11 of them were not there, and I dramatically slowed down to wait for them,” Liew told TODAY. “I would not have felt comfortable taking advantage of the situation as I am a big fan of sportsmanship. In fact, I was sharing with the other athletes how important sportsmanship is.” Liew, coached by Murugiah Rameshon — who set the national record of 2:24.22 at the 1995 SEA Games in Chiang Mai — added: “It is not always about the medals, but also the things you do in between.” Liew, who spent 41 days at the world-famous High Altitude Training Centre in Iten, Kenya to prepare for the SEA Games, struggled to finish the race as he had suffered injuries to both his hamstrings. But spurred on by the memory of his late mother, who passed away in 2010 after battling colon cancer for five years, Liew managed to not only display the act of class but also persevered in finishing the race, which took place on what would have been his mother’s 61st birthday. “I did that (waiting for his competitors) in a manner that my mum would have done. I think that my mum would be very proud of me. Every moment of my race was a tribute to her,” he said. Although his competitors may not have thanked him for slowing down, Liew, whose personal best in the marathon is 2:32.12 which he set at the New Orleans Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in January, simply brushed it off. He recalled how Soh also showed the same sportsmanship by waiting for him during the 2011 Army Half-Marathon after he had fallen. Said Liew: “It happens. When things are fast and furious in the race, you don’t really pay attention to what’s going on, and I don’t make a big fuss out of it.”
