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Day 2 in review

Yesterday mark the end of the two Singapore Open event. The competition saw three championship record and two national record fell over the two day event. Japan Athletics Federation lead the medal standing with 24 medals, grabbing nearly half of the top finishes, while Athletic Assn of Thailand is a distant behind with Philippines Amateur T & F Assn a close third in medal standing.

The 69th Singapore Open gives Team Singapore glimpses of the athletes who would likely be competing in the upcoming SEA Games 2007, especially the Thailand and Philippines team. This year participation lack the the Vietnam, Myanmar for reason unknown while the Malaysian team couldn’t make it as it clashes with their own internal meet held at the same time.

Hideki (left) and Hakeem (right) at the podium ©

We saw Nomoto, Hideki from Japan erasing the old championship mark of 14.15s to 14.11s in the Men’s 110m hurdles. Our very own Abdul Hakeem managed a podium finish, as he finished third. That medal also mark Wings athletics club sole medal in the competition.

Anastasiya on her way to a new record ©

The other championship record is once again established by Uzbekistan’s Anastasiya Juravleva. If there was a such MVP award, she would like take the award home surely. She showed professionalism in her approach during the two day event, indeed a mini-celebrity, as this reporter even saw even the Japanese team lining up taking photos with her. Anastasiya broke the women’s championship long jump record with a new distance of 6.46m, erasing the old 2001 mark of 6.42m by Sato Yuka of Japan. Her personal best in the event is 6.69m

The ladies who broke the 34 year old record ©

The 4×100m women team have finally silenced their biggest critic and proponent in us by erasing the old mark of 47.0s with a new timing of 46.98s in the 4×100m women event, which was previously held by the Golden Girls of Merican, Bernabas, Bee Wan and Fernando set in 1973. Hot off the heel of a 100m women individual record herself, Amanda Choo led the team, Lee Yan Lin (first leg), Wong Zeteng (second leg) and fellow schoolmate Ann Siao Mei (anchor) to a new record time and our current ladies sprinters are ushering in a new era of Golden Girls themselves. Whether they’re going to SEA Games, it’s really up to SNOC now, as they’re still short of the 46.01s SEA Games bronze qualifying mark, even with the new ratified timing. Well, we do hope they will.

Day 1 in review

On Day 1 of The 69th Singapore Open 2007 saw one championship record and local national record smashed. Team Singapore has mixed fortune yesterday as individually most of our athletes achieved personal best or season best, but during the relays, injuries sets-in or there was screw-up in the baton passing.

Anastasiya captured here at the podium ©

Anastasiya Juravleva of Uzbekistan smashed the women’s triple jump Championship Record of 13.78m held previously by Rittiwat Wacharee of Thailand in 2001. The distance is however far from her personal best of 14.55m, which is the current Uzbekistan women’s triple jump national record. The 26 year old Anastasiya is Asian Champ back in 2003 and even participated in last year IAAF’s World Cup. She was in a league of her own as the next closest mark next to her was 2 meters plus away, Tenika Demamiel of Athletics Australia with a distance of 11.35m

Amanda seeks for her timing after the finals ©

Amanda Choo our current fastest lady sprinter for the 100m women, broke the previously held record by Prema Govinda of 12.23s with a new mark of 12.21s. It was achieved during the 100m women finals. The 100m women finals field, saw a sub 12s run by the eventual winner, while Amanda finished a credible fifth. It was no surprise she was in good form as from her previous meet, she clocked 12.29s in the IAAF World Championship recently. Currently Amanda is an undergraduate at Nanyang Technological University.

Our men sprinters ready for ‘action’ ©

Our sprinters in particular the 100m lads, did exceptionally well to qualify for the second round. Most did season or personal best. The 100m men finals saw two Singapore men sprinter, Poh Seng Song (10.71s, 6th) and Shameer Ayub (10.68s, 5th). The lads however couldn’t convert that individual best in the relays, as in the 4×100m Heat 1, Team ‘A’ baton exchange was led down during Leg 1 and 2, while in Heat 2, our UK Shyam unfortunately pulled a muscle for Team ‘B’, just barely 10 meters from the finish line.

The 400m sprinters, our duo national runners Muthukumaran and Kenneth Khoo easily qualified for the finals on Day 2. They respectively clocked 48.03s and 48.35s. Another local national 400m sprinter Alexander Teng (49.64s) didn’t qualify for the finals, even though clocking a faster timing than some of the finalist. The final lineup is based on first two finish automatic qualifier and last two fastest loser pool timing

Wings flag flying high and proud to be back ©

The event also saw the comeback of Wings Athletics Club. The club was suspended by the Singapore Amateur Athletic Association (SAA) last October. The nine-month ban was due to a relay saga back in September 2005. But that is all over now, as the club signaled its return to the local athletic scene by sending 15 athletes for Day One of competition

Day 1 also saw one team only running for the men’s 4×400m. It looks like the other teams pulled out but the Sri Lankan team was sporting enough to run the race all alone. Well that’s what you get for ruling out local clubs and varsities from participating in their own local meets.

In the women’s shotput finals, we’re definitely missing the services of Zhang Guirong and Du Xianhui. The field lack quality itself as the best throw was 13.62m, by Yukiko Shirai of Japan.

Where are they now?

Credit to SingaporeAthletics.org.sg for the results