We’ve a new guest writer on-board and would like to be known by pseudonym “SingaporeSportsFan”. From the author’s blog profile, the Singapore Sports Fan is a 30-something year old long-time observer and fan of the local sports scene. Do visit SingaporeSportsFan blog at singaporesportsfan.wordpress.com

Victoria Junior College student Koh Thong En speared his way to a new national junior mark as he finished fifth in the men’s javelin at the 70th Singapore Open Track and Field Championships last Sunday.

The 17-year-old first-year student threw 54.14m at the Bukit Gombak Stadum to eclipse the national junior record mark of 53.70m set by Akid Chong during the 34th Singapore Junior Athletics Championships in late June.

The event was won by Sri Lanka’s K. H. K Gunathilaka who threw 74.85m. China’s Qin Qiang took the silver with 71.12m while Japan’s Yamamoto Kazuki was third wth 68.01m.

Thong En had already shown signs during the recent 49th National Schools Track and Field Championships that he was capable of hurling beyond the 53m mark when he won the Boys A Division event with a distance of 54.78m.

However, that was achieved with a 700g javelin, the stipulated weight for the A Division Boys competition whereas 800g javelins - the adult standard - were used at the Singapore Open.

If Thong En’s record is ratified by the Singapore Athletics Association, it would be the 16th national open and junior mark to be broken this year (see here and here for a list of the other records that have been broken to date)

Despite seeing his name wiped off the national record books, Nanyang Polytechnic student Akid Chong still had some reason to smile at the Singapore Open. His best effort of 53.90m, which helped him to finish sixth eventually, is a new personal best and also bettered the existing national junior mark.

The fact that only 0.24m is separating the two young athletes means that Singapore track and field fans could be in for a huge treat the next few times Thong En and Akid come into battle again.

Meanwhile, it looks like young Benjamin Ng of Hwa Chong Institution may have pole-vaulted his way to a new national age-group record at the Singapore Open.

Ng, who finished second at the National Schools Championships B Division final with his 4.00m effort, bettered that by 0.30m as he lifted himself to third place at the Singapore Open with his massive 4.30m effort.

Pending ratification, that height is a new national U-17 mark as it is better than the 4.16m set by Sean Lim, also from Hwa Chong, during the Singapore Juniors.

In fact, Benjamin was tied with Emerson Obiena of the Philippines but must have lost the silver on counback. Obiena’s compatriot, Jerome Margallo, took the gold with his 4.50m effort, which was way below the Singapore Open and Asian record of 5.40m set by Japan’s Toshiyuki Hashioka in 1992.

The Singapore Sports Fan extends his heartiest congratulations to both Thong En and Benjamin and hopes to see them continuing to set new standards for Singapore athletics in the years to come.

Yours in Sport
Singapore Sports Fan

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Note: photo via singapore sports school