SPLASHING INTO VICTORY (Courtesy from ASG 2011 Website)
by Amelia Chua and Bernice Phoon, CHIJ St Nicholas Girls' SchoolIt was a splashing victory for some athletes yesterday at the Swimming finals of the ASEAN School Games (ASG), with inspiring young swimmers hailing from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
16 year old Yessy Venisia Yosaputr from Indonesia clocked a timing of 02:18:84 to claim first spot in the Women 200m Backstroke. The sweet-natured girl expressed joy over her victory, and thanked God as well as her friends and family for their constant support. Although pleased with her results, Yosaputr shared that the real celebration would only come when she was able to achieve her ultimate goal – to participate in the 2012 London Olympics next year.
Her team mate, I Gede, Siman Sudartaw, charmed the crowd with his comical actions and cheery personality. The winner of the Men 200m Backstroke proved to be the dark horse of this competition. Sudartaw moved up from the fourth position in the preliminaries to become the champion in the finals, improving by a whole 10 seconds.
The Singaporean youths did their country proud too, clinching 4 out of 8 Gold medals in the swimming finals. 14 year old Meagan Lim of the Singapore team, who won after clocking a timing of 1:04:81 for the Women 100m Butterfly, brimmed with confidence as she spoke about her excitement over her win. When quizzed what first came to her mind when the race was over, Meagan exclaimed ‘Thank God it’s over!’ She had also come in third in the 200m backstroke event.
In contrast, Teo Zhen Ren, 16, from the Singapore team had anticipated his victory before he clocked 4:09:48 in the Men 400m Freestyle. During the competition, he appeared to be gliding over the water effortlessly, and kept a steady lead from the start. ‘Perhaps we will hit the Universal Studios Singapore to celebrate,’ he grinned. He had been training in the sport for 9 years.
Joseph I Schooling of the Singapore team clinched top prize for the 400m Men Butterfly and many were taken aback by his impressive timing of 0:55:18. Schooling said that his passion for swimming began with his first contact with water at a tender age and that he was fully focused on breaking another meet record.
16 year old Yessy Venisia Yosaputr from Indonesia clocked a timing of 02:18:84 to claim first spot in the Women 200m Backstroke. The sweet-natured girl expressed joy over her victory, and thanked God as well as her friends and family for their constant support. Although pleased with her results, Yosaputr shared that the real celebration would only come when she was able to achieve her ultimate goal – to participate in the 2012 London Olympics next year.
Her team mate, I Gede, Siman Sudartaw, charmed the crowd with his comical actions and cheery personality. The winner of the Men 200m Backstroke proved to be the dark horse of this competition. Sudartaw moved up from the fourth position in the preliminaries to become the champion in the finals, improving by a whole 10 seconds.
The Singaporean youths did their country proud too, clinching 4 out of 8 Gold medals in the swimming finals. 14 year old Meagan Lim of the Singapore team, who won after clocking a timing of 1:04:81 for the Women 100m Butterfly, brimmed with confidence as she spoke about her excitement over her win. When quizzed what first came to her mind when the race was over, Meagan exclaimed ‘Thank God it’s over!’ She had also come in third in the 200m backstroke event.
In contrast, Teo Zhen Ren, 16, from the Singapore team had anticipated his victory before he clocked 4:09:48 in the Men 400m Freestyle. During the competition, he appeared to be gliding over the water effortlessly, and kept a steady lead from the start. ‘Perhaps we will hit the Universal Studios Singapore to celebrate,’ he grinned. He had been training in the sport for 9 years.
Joseph I Schooling of the Singapore team clinched top prize for the 400m Men Butterfly and many were taken aback by his impressive timing of 0:55:18. Schooling said that his passion for swimming began with his first contact with water at a tender age and that he was fully focused on breaking another meet record.
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