Hurdler Ang rewrites his national mark
National hurdler Ang Chen Xiang was handed a boost ahead of August's South-east Asia (SEA) Games in Kuala Lumpur, when he set a new national record in the 110m hurdles event at the Thailand Open in Bangkok yesterday.
The 23-year-old bettered his own mark of 14.38sec by clocking 14.19s to finish sixth.
The bronze medal mark at the 2015 SEA Games, in which Ang did not make the finals, was 14.12s.
Said Ang: "Having a new personal best and national record ahead of the SEA Games has definitely boosted my confidence and it lets me know that I am on the right track.
"For the high hurdles event, it is most important to focus on the 10 obstacles (hurdles) in front of you.
"I will continue to work on refining my technique and see where that takes me."
Ang, who took a gap year in his final year at the National University of Singapore medical school to pursue his athletic endeavours, added that he has been working on his technique for the past six months.
He also said that the competitive field in Bangkok drew the best out of him.
The top three finishers in the event all went below 14 seconds, with Asian Games silver medallist Kim Byung Jun clocking 13.39s to set a new South Korean national record.
“I will continue to work on refining my technique and see where that takes me.”National hurdler Ang Chen Xiang
Second-placed Jamras Rittidet, who has won gold at the past four SEA Games, finished second in 13.88s while Filipino Patrick Ma Unso also set a new national record with a 13.91s run.
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