FLYING HIGH IN BISHAN SPORTS HALL -

FLYING HIGH IN BISHAN SPORTS HALL  (Courtesy from ASG2011 Website)
by Fatima Bano, Outram Secondary School

The announcer's voice lingered in the Bishan Sports Hall where the first fixture of the ASEAN School Games (ASG) Gymnastics (Artistic) competition was held, momentarily silencing the 200-strong audience.

It was 10.00 am and the competition was about to begin. Teams consisting of five members each – from countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam – had been familiarising with their equipment and practising for the past hour.

Once the jury entered the hall and took their seats, student ushers brought the athletes and their coaches to their respective stations. All the teams were given 3 minutes to warm up as the jury members settled down.

Soon enough, the announcer's voice came on again, marking the start of the competition.

The Singapore team started off with the Pummel Horse station. Whenever a member of the Singapore team gave a near-flawless performance, the crowd would go wild cheering for the athlete, making the hall echo with thunderous applause and the ear-deafening, distinct sounds of thunder-sticks being collided in joy. The Singapore team did well in the Horizontal Bar station too – girls in the audience were screaming their lungs out, cheering for the athletes working wonders on the bar.

Meanwhile, the Thailand team started with the Floor Exercise. Their fantastic and clean performance left many amazed, as they executed their swift and complicated moves in mere fractions of a second.

The Vietnam team started off with the Roman Rings, and put up a magnificent performance with utmost flexibility and agility. Athlete Number 25, in particular, put up a performance that was near-flawless. With his muscles clenched and his determined expression, he exuded an air of confidence.

The Malaysian team comprised last year's champion, Tracie Ang, who unfortunately could not participate in all the stations due to a leg sprain she had sustained in the middle of her Floor exercise performance. When interviewed, she expressed her regret and disappointment over her fall. However, she also added that even though this was her last year in the ASG as she was now 18 years old, she was looking forward to participating in the ASEAN games in the future.

The female athletes from Indonesia also charmed the audience with their floor exercise performance, filled with beautiful moves and delightful expressions. They were also rather good in their balancing beam station.

In the end, Malaysia was awarded the gold medal, with 180.25 points, followed by Singapore with 179.25 points. The bronze medal went to Thailand with 171.65 points.