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Straits Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
From National School Games to Asian C'ships, teen sprinter Shannon Tan chases records
Sprinter Shannon Tan at Home of Athletics on June 6, 2025. The Secondary 4 student from Cedar Girls' Secondary School was part of the record-setting 4x100m quartet at the Asian Athletic Championships in May. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM SINGAPORE – When she got her maiden national call-up in May, teenage sprinter Shannon Tan thought she would be heading to the Asian Athletics Championships just as a reserve. But a surprise awaited her at the continental meet in South Korea. On the eve of the women's 4x100m relay final, the 15-year-old was told that she would be running alongside sprint queen Shanti Pereira, Elizabeth-Ann Tan and Laavinia Jaiganth. Clocking 44.66 seconds to finish fifth out of seven teams, the quartet set a national record at the Gumi Civic Stadium on May 31, eclipsing the previous mark of 44.96sec registered in 2017 by Pereira, Wendy Enn, Dipna Lim-Prasad and Nur Izlyn Zaini. Being part of a record-setting team on the Asian stage was beyond the wildest imagination for Shannon, a Cedar Girls' Secondary School student who turns 16 in November. 'Being 16 years old and being able to run at a national level at such a major competition, it's like a dream that no one would ever think of,' said the Secondary 4 student, who ran the first leg of the relay. She was nearly overwhelmed with anxiety, but her jitters faded once she stepped onto the track. It was the encouraging words of her school coach, Margaret Oh, which helped to steady her nerves. 'She told me (that) I've run so many races. This is just another race,' said Shannon, who won four gold medals at the National School Games (NSG) in April, clinching two individual titles in the B Division girls' 100m and 200m, and two relay titles in the 4x100m and 4x400m. Shannon had also felt intimidated at the prospect of teaming up with her seniors – athletes whom she look up to. But they made her feel welcome and through conversations with them, she learnt more about the ups and downs of an athlete's path and the importance of pushing through stagnant periods to achieve growth. It is something that she is familiar with. She began her athletic journey in Primary 3, when her mother encouraged her to pick up track and field as a way to expend her energy, and as a potential Direct School Admission (DSA) pathway. Though initially unenthused, she took it up and specialised in sprints and the long jump. After getting into Cedar Girls' via DSA, Shannon focused on the long jump, as she felt 'slower' than the other runners. More doubts about her athletic future crept into her mind following a pause in training due to the Covid-19 pandemic and a left ankle injury. While she focused more on sprints after the ankle sprain, a hamstring injury which sidelined her for eight months in 2023 left her discouraged. It was only after Oh became Cedar Girls' coach in October 2024 that Shannon regained her spark. 'At the time, I didn't even believe in myself, and she was the only one that believed in me, so I really felt like I owed it to her to give it my all in track and field. 'I really wanted to do well, because she went through so much effort to train me,' said Shannon. Oh said Shannon caught her eye with the way she runs, adding: 'It is very rare that you find an athlete who has all these in place – the wanting to win, the ability to run fast.' Under Oh's tutelage, Shannon went from strength to strength and was even aiming to break NSG records. Though she did not manage to do so – her personal-best 12.27sec set in the B girls' 100m final was just 0.02sec behind the electronic-timed record clocked by Elizabeth-Ann Tan in 2019 – the inter-school games proved to be her breakthrough. Shannon's showing prompted national relays coach Hamkah Afik to approach Oh about adding the teenager to the South Korea-bound national team. After reviewing data – which included baton-exchange timings and individual race analysis – collated by the High Performance Sport Institute's sports scientists, a decision was made to include her in the women's 4x100m final. 'We gave her that chance and she really proved to us that she could put in the effort,' said Hamkah. 'She did not disappoint us.' With support from friends and family – her parents were key to her decision to prioritise athletics over academics – Shannon is poised to make the next leap in her career. A transfer to the Singapore Sports School is on the cards, as she eyes a spot at the Dec 9-20 SEA Games in Thailand. 'My coach put the idea to me that I'm capable of many great things. 'And that gave me the drive and determination that I need to pull off whatever I did,' added Shannon, who is aiming to go under 12sec in the 100m. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
14-05-2025
- Sport
- Straits Times
Familiar faces claim top honours at National School Games' cross-country finals
Nanyang Junior College's Clara Chua crossing the finish line to win the A Division Girls' gold at the National School Games cross-country finals on May 14. ST PHOTO: TARYN NG SINGAPORE – Pulling well clear of her closest challenger on a wet and rainy morning, Clara Chua of Nanyang Junior College stamped her dominance in the National School Games' (NSG) cross-country event by winning the A Division girls' individual race at OCBC Square on May 14 . It marked her third straight victory at the NSG after achieving similar feats in 2024 and 2023, the latter when she was with St Margaret's School (Secondary) . 'I'm really happy that I managed to complete my goal of (becoming) a three-time champion,' said Clara, 18, who crossed the finish line in 13min 51.595sec – the 36-second margin to second-placed Anisah Omar of Victoria Junior College highlighting her dominance. It more than made up for the disappointment of having to wait for a day to compete. The finals were initially scheduled on May 13, but had to be postponed by 24 hours due to inclement weather. Even in the early hours of May 14, a light shower caused all races to be delayed by half an hour and threatened to dampen the mood. 'It (the postponement) was very disappointing because all my preparation was for that day,' said Clara. Fortunately for her, the rain ceased. In the wet conditions, the A and B Division boys completed a 4.6km route, while the C Division boys and girls of all three divisions ran 3.6km. The starting point was the grassy section of Tanjong Rhu Promenade, with the route stretching past the Tanjong Rhu suspension footbridge before concluding at OCBC Square. 'The route was a bit hard to run because there were a lot of tight curves,' said Clara. 'The grass patch was kind of slippery. I fell down twice but it was nothing much. Just (got) a small scrape.' She managed to overcome her minor setback to complete her NSG journey with a treble of gold medals. 'I just focus on running at my own pace. I told myself that I trained hard for this and I know my fitness will show how good I am,' she added. Tabitha Ng of Cedar Girls' Secondary School also found the tight curves hard to navigate on her way to winning the B Division girls' individual race. 'The part where I struggled the most was definitely the turns at the overhead bridge because they're really sharp. Not only that, there's a slope (going) upwards under the bridge,' said the 16-year-old. The bridge also signalled the home stretch where she started to run 'all out' towards the finish line, taking first place with a time of 13:54.113, three seconds ahead of Charlotte Poon from St Anthony's Canossian Secondary School. Cedar Girls' Secondary School's Tabitha Ng running 'all out' towards the finish line to win the B Division girls' category. ST PHOTO: TARYN NG 'I was aiming for first (place),' said Tabitha after winning her fourth straight gold medal , which will also be her last for her school, having taken the top prize every year since her NSG debut in 2022. She was glad to go out with a bang, adding: 'I'm really happy and thankful because it's my last year running for Cedar. Ever since I came to Cedar, my teammates have been cheering me on. It's a very supportive environment, and all this support has inspired me to push myself even further.' There was still a sense of accomplishment among runners who might not have won, and for some, even redemption. Enoch Seow of St Joseph's Institution finished seventh in the B Division boys' individual race with a time of 15:57.699 , massively improving on his 37th-placed finish in 2024 . NUS High School's Sung Yejun retained his title in 15:00.529. 'I feel really vindicated,' said Enoch, 15. 'Last year I messed up my race and because of that, my school missed out (on the team trophy). So this year I was really happy because it was like redemption.' Enoch Seow from St Joseph's Institution was glad to improve on his race from last year, coming in seventh in the B Division boys' category. ST PHOTO: TARYN NG 'I was more relaxed. I did not let the past failures weigh me down,' he added. For the overall team trophies, Victoria JC won the A Division boys' and girls' categories, while Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) claimed both the B and C Division boys' titles. Cedar took the B and C Division girls' crowns . More on this Topic Canada crowned inaugural mixed 4x100m relay champions Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
