Wei Guan and Tia lead the way with two golds
Singapore athletes win seven medals on first day of SEA Youth Championships
Despite the gloomy weather, Singapore's athletes shone on the first day of the 12th South-east Asian (SEA) Youth Athletics Championships in Ilagan City, Philippines, yesterday.
The Singapore contingent delivered two golds, four silvers and one bronze medal to open the two-day competition.
Chong Wei Guan led the way with a triumph in the boys' 110m hurdles, before Tia Louise Rozario added a second gold in the girls' long jump.
Wei Guan, a 17-year-old student-athlete at the Singapore Sports School, told The New Paper in a phone interview: "I felt lucky to have won this race although I could have run faster.
"I hit my last three hurdles, but I persevered and finished first.
"I ran 14.33 seconds today, which is 0.15sec off my personal best.
"I hope to break the Under-18 national record in the future."
In the boys' 3,000m, Victoria Junior College student Syed Hussein Aljunied bagged a silver medal after clocking a personal best of 9min 10.98 sec.
"I'm pleased to run a personal best, but I expected gold," said the 17-year-old, who is related to former national football player and coach, the late Hussain Aljunied.
"Now I'm focused on my race in the 800m tomorrow."
Singapore team manager Ghana Segaran was delighted with the teenagers' results.
Said the 63-year-old: "It's a huge achievement for everyone who competed today.
"We had to overcome the wet weather and strong winds yet we managed a solid performance.
"There was a lot of competition from our opponents so it wasn't easy, but we always aim to do our best."
The athletes continue their medal hunt today, with potential golds to come in the girls' high jump and boys' 400m events.
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