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Independent Singapore
an hour ago
- General
- Independent Singapore
Singapore's women's 4×100-m relay team breaks national record at Asian Championships
SOUTH KOREA: As the baton crossed the finish line at the Gumi Sports Complex, the Singapore women's 4×100-m relay team looked up at the scoreboard. The time read 44.66 seconds, a new national record. It wasn't enough for a medal at the Asian Athletics Championships, but it was enough to rewrite history. The team of Shannon Tan, Elizabeth-Ann Tan, Shanti Pereira, and Laavinia Jaiganth finished fifth overall, behind Asia's sprint powerhouses, but in the context of Singapore athletics, it marked a major breakthrough. The previous record of 44.96 seconds, set at the 2017 SEA Games, had stood for nearly eight years. That timing had only just been matched a month earlier at the Singapore Open, on home soil and with a different lead-off runner. This time, the first athlete out of the blocks was Shannon Tan, a Secondary 4 student from Cedar Girls' School. Making her debut for the national team at just 16, she became the youngest sprinter in recent memory to front a senior relay squad at a continental meet. She passed the baton cleanly to Elizabeth-Ann Tan, one of Singapore's two fastest female sprinters. Shanti Pereira, the other, ran the curve on the third leg. Having just returned from overseas competitions, she delivered one of the race's strongest splits, powering through the second bend to position the team well going into the final changeover. Laavinia Jaiganth, the national U20 400-m record holder, anchored the team. She held her ground in a stacked field to bring Singapore home in record time. Also travelling with the relay squad were Kerstin Ong and Sarah Poh, who had been part of the pool preparing for the event. Behind the scenes, the effort was supported by relay coaches Hamkah Afik, Khairyll Amri, Melvin Tan, and Remy Gan. Their respective personal coaches also train each of the four runners: Margaret Oh (Shannon), Hamkah and Khairyll (Elizabeth-Ann), Luis Cunha (Shanti), and Fabian William (Laavinia). The new national time of 44.66 s would have won medals at 30 out of 31 SEA Games editions where the women's 4×100 m relay was contested. Still, more than just the numbers, the race reflected a shift: the blend of experience and emerging talent, and a baton literally and figuratively being passed from one generation to the next. As the athletes left the track in Gumi, the message was clear — the standard has been raised.
Independent Singapore
3 days ago
- General
- Independent Singapore
Singapore's Thiruben Thana Rajan successfully breaks 800m record at the Asian Athletics Championships after 38 years
SOUTH KOREA: The long-standing national record for the men's 800-m event at the Asian Athletics Championships was broken after 38 years by Singaporean athlete Thiruben Thana Rajan with a final time of 1:49.94. In Gumi, South Korea, the athlete's historic performance defeated the record set by Sinnathambi Pandian at the 7th Asian Track and Field Championships in 1987. With his achievement, the 24-year-old athlete expressed: 'Everything fell into place for me today and I achieved exactly what I set out to do, which was to break the national record and be the first Singaporean under 1:50.' He added: 'I'm proud of the fearless race I ran, pushing aggressively from the start.' In a social media post by Rajan using Singapore Athletics' account, the athlete proudly shared his historical win with a caption: 'NATIONAL RECORD 🇸🇬 … As many in the athletics community know, I've been managing the Singapore Athletics social media pages since 2023 as part of my full-time role overseeing marketing and sponsorships for the association…. After writing countless national record posts for my Team Singapore teammates over the past two years, it's a surreal feeling to finally be writing one… for myself.' He added: 'Today (30 May 2025), at the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea, I clocked 1:49.94 in the 800 Heats. This timing broke the long-standing Men's 800m National Record of 1:50.56 set by S. Pandian in 1987. I also became the first Singaporean ever to dip below 1:50 in the two-lap event. S. Surendra had also previously run a hand-timed 1:49.9 in 1983… My previous best was 1:51.28, set just a month ago at the Singapore Open.' 'I am very appreciative and grateful to my coaches Khairyll Amri and Hamkah Afik and to my training group at @ for being in my corner every step of the way… Let's keep going.' Netizens expressed their support to the young athlete in the comments section by saying: 'Well done, Thiruben ! You have gone through some valleys and came out stronger! We are immensely proud of you!', 'Solid guy. Hard work paying off bro', and 'Congratulations 👏👏👏👏' See also 2026 Tour de France to begin with a team time trial in Barcelona Rajan's transition from 400 m to 800 m Rajan admitted that he began training with his current coaches, Khairyll Amri and Hamkah Afik, a year ago, when he also had decided to transition from 400 m to 800 m. He is confident that he can beat the world record and declared: 'I've always had the belief that I am capable of taking down this record. This is certainly not the end goal for me, as this first year in the event was all about recovering from past injuries and getting used to the two laps again.' He also stated that he is excited to train and improve his skills for the SEA Games in December.
