Newsflash: Singapore wins its first medals at Asian Youth Games

A pole vaulter and a long jumper delivered Singapore’s first medals at the Asian Youth Games today.

Haw Chong Institution student Sean Lim and Cedar Girls Secondary’s Melissa Wu both won bronzes in their respective events today on the first day of the athletics competition which was held at the Bishan Stadium.

Sean took the bronze with his 4.30m effort, which, incidentally, was way below his national junior record mark of 4.61m. The height equalled Taiwanese athlete Chi Chien Hao’s best effort but Chi claimed the silver in the end as he had taken only one attempt to clear 4.30m compared to Sean’s two.

Japan’s Sho Hibasa was the clear winner in the event with his 4.87m effort.

Meanwhile, Melissa finished third in the girls’ long jump with her effort of 4.94m.

The reigning National Schools B Division champion has a personal best of 4.99m. Thailand’s Pennapa Tantragool won the even with 5.58m while Qatar’s Reyma Alen Thomas was second with 5.06m.

It was also a good day for 400m runner Jared Lim.

The 16-year-old had been mired in a selection controversy prior to the AYG but he proved his critics wrong in the best way possible – by clocking a personal best of 50.39sec in his heat to qualify for the final.

Jared’s time – which was 0.72sec faster than his previous PB of 51.11sec – was the fourth fastest today and gives the Singapore Sports Schol student a fighting chance at winning a medal in Thursday’s final.

The fastest qualifier was Taiwan’s Fu Pei Yu (49.30sec) followed by Saudi Arabia’s Abkar Abdullah (49.83sec ) and Thailand’s Nitipol Thongpoon (50.12sec).

Jared’s schoolmate, sprinter Shahrir Anuar also booked his spot in the Boys’ 100m final when he won his heat in 11.07sec.  He was the second qualifier behind Japan’s Masaki Nashimoto who clocked 10.89sec.

However, Shahrir’s personal best of 10.90sec, which was set at this year’s National Schools Championships, means that he has a great chance of winning the 100m final on Friday and delivering an athletics gold for Singapore.

But sprinter Liang Wei was a disappoitment in the Girls 100m. Touted by The Straits Times and TODAY as an athlete to watch at the AYG, the National Schools B Division champion didn’t even qualify for the 100m final today.

She clocked 12.90sec to finish out of the running for a top-eight place. Her time was also 0.40sec slower than her national U-15 record of 12.50sec.

Yours in sport

Singapore Sports Fan

Newsflash: Singapore’s football dreams shattered after 1-4 loss to Thailand

Thailand skipper Insiri Charoenruen single-handedly turned Singapore’s footballing dreams to dust this afternoon as he masterminded his country’s 4-1 crushing of the Republic at the Jalan Besar Stadium.

Charoenruen, who scored three goals in the first-round group matches,  scored twice today and had a hand in the other two to condemn Singapore to its second defeat in as many matches. The result means that Singapore is out of the running for a place in the semi-finals of the Asian Youth Games football tournament.

The Republic had lost 1-2 to Iran on Saturday but today’s display by the Young Cubs was a far cry from that gutsy performance against the Iranians which had warmed the hearts of the 2,500-strong crowd then.

Instead, Singapore was dominated by the Thais. Save for a bright patch midway through the first-half in which they matched the Thais in speed and aggression, the Cubs spent most of the match on the backfoot.

In fact, if it was not for several fine saves by goalkeeper Mohamad Fashah Iskandar. Singapore would have been badly thrashed by a Thai team that was itself thumped 0-7 by China in its first Group A match on Saturday.

Ironically, it was during Singapore’s bright patch that Charoenreun first struck.  From 25 metres, he unleashed a rocket that screamed past the  rooted Fashah into the net.

Singapore almost equalised in the 32nd minute when Muhd Adri Adnan struck a hopeful shot from the edge of the box and hit the bar. But it was Thailand that struck the psychological blow just before half-time.

Charoenreun blasted a 25m freekick which Fashah spilt while diving to collect, and Ponpai Todsaporn ran forward to tap the ball in.

It was the same story after the break.

Singapore continued to be pinned back in its half and Charoenreun made it 3-0 in the 70th minute with a strike that mirrored his first goal. Once again, Singapore goalkeeper Fashah was left rooted to the spot as the ball whizzed past him into the net.

Singapore’s Muhd Muhaimi Suhaimin netted a consolation goal in the 76th minute. But the joy was short-lived.

In injury time, Fashah spilt another freekick by Charoenreun and this time, it was Tanomnaew Komsan who followed up to tap the ball in and complete Singapore’s afternoon of misery.

In another Group A match, Iran became the first team to qualify for the semi-finals when it beat China 4-2. 

Today’s results mean that Singapore is practically out of the tournament even though it has one match left to play – against China on Wednesday. It must beat China by a handsome margin and hope for Iran to beat Thailand in order to reach the last four.

Yours in sport

Singapore Sports Fan

Newsflash: Singapore go down to Iran in AYG football second round group match

Singapore’s young cubs went down 1-2 to Iran in an Asian Youth Games football tournament secound-round group match held at the Jalan Besar Stadium this afternoon.

As AYG hosts, the Republic had automatically qualified for the  second round of the group stages, but its chances of advancing to the semi-fnals must now seem a tough bet after today’s defeat, and China’s thrashing of Thailand.

Iran, which played only one qualifying match in the first round – a 6-0 drubbing of Taiwan – after the Philippines team was quarantined for the H1N1 virus and eliminated from the competition, took the lead in the second half.

Siavesh Haghnazari – who scored a goal against Taiwan – got his second of the tournament today in the 49th minute, but Singapore striker Mohd Hanafi Mohd Akbar raised the home supporters’ hopes of a draw with his 57th minute equaliser.

But Iran skipper Bahman Jahantigh broke the Young Cubs’ hearts  with his 70th minute winner.

In another Group A match, China thrashed Thailand 7-0 to go top of the group.

Skipper Yan Peng scored five goals while Long Cheng and Liang Xueming scored a goal apiece.

The result comes as a surprise as China had a lacklustre first round campaign. It had thrashed Myanmar 7–3 and was held to a surprising 0-0 draw by unfancied Pakistan. It then lost 2-3 to South Korea.

However, today’s impressive performance against the Thais means that the Chinese must now be regarded as one of the teams to watch in this competition.

Singapore will play Thailand on Monday at the Jalan Besar Stadium at 4pm

Yours in sport

Singapore Sports Fan