Hwa Chongians Cheer Our Athletes on at NSG Track and Field Final

Written by: Lee Koon Kai (25S72)

Edited by: Megan Lim (24S6E) and Gilbert Goh (25S6C)

Tensions were high in the Singapore Sports Hub on 25th April during the long-awaited Track and Field Finals. Multiple schools from all across the country, including track powerhouses Raffles Institution, Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) and our very own Hwa Chong Institution came together to compete for the championship trophy. Since its establishment in the 1960s, the Hwa Chong Track and Field Team has attained many achievements. We were the first school to win all 4 divisions in 2017, a feat which was repeated in 2019, showcasing our long-standing dominance in the sport.

Hwa Chong students performing a cheer. Credit: Studio Ardent

Cheers reverberated throughout the stadium, as the Students' Council led the whole school in many iconic cheers, such as “We Will Rock You” and “North South East West”, providing much needed support for our athletes on this special day. Cheers echoed throughout the stadium, and the ground trembled as the whole cohort participated in this show of support and power.

Among many highlights, the whole school watched with bated breath, as the B-Div boys' 100m sprint commenced. Jonathan Philip Hoare from HCI stormed to a commanding victory, clocking an exceptional 10.94s. The school once again erupted in cheer, as he won a valuable gold medal. Despite a slow start, he managed to keep his composure in front of the thousands of spectators, making up in the final stretch to edge out second place Keane Tan from ACS(I) by 0.05s. “I thought I was gone from there, but I just remained calm and did what I knew I could do because if I tense up, I run a lot slower,” said Jonathan, as quoted from his interview with the Straits Times. His teammate, Fu Zixuan, took fourth place with a timing of 11.40s.

Elsewhere, in the A-Div girls' 4x100m relay, Hwa Chong Institution’s team truly never disappoints, as the team surged ahead and clocked a blistering 0:48.18, setting a new national record in front of our ardent supporters. They kept their lead throughout the entire race, staying well ahead of all other runners. HCI’s anchor, Rachel Soh, said that prior to the NSG, they were just aiming to have a smooth execution, but after the heats, they became hopeful of breaking the record. Not long after, in the A-Div girls' 4x400m relay, Hwa Chong Institution’s team stormed to first place, clocking 04:08.68, completely annihilating the competition with VJC’s team coming in nearly 2 seconds after.

Our victorious girls on the podium! Credit: Studio Ardent

In another highlight, during the B-Div boys' high jump, Kaai Chan from HCI clinched gold with a final height of 1.85m, narrowly edging out VS’s Jonah Jude Seah. His teammate Soh Shao Ming came in third with a final height of 1.83m, which put two HCI athletes on the podium. 

At the end of this 4-hour long event, HCI came out on top for C-Div boys, B-Div boys and A-Div girls, making us the overall champion of this season! Congratulations to all our athletes who have persevered through all the gruelling training sessions, and we are proud of your achievements!