National School Games
recap
NSG 2025 Week 2: Bars Raised, Margins Slimmed, and History Held Tight
Written by Amir Rusyaidi Osman
Week 2
Published 19 April 2025
New Kings, New Queens, New Records
Two championship records fell in Week 2—and both rewrote more than just meet history.
In the A Boys Pole Vault, Joseph Cheong (HCI) cleared 4.83m to edge past Chan Sheng Yao’s 2013 mark of 4.82m by the slimmest of margins. The jump didn’t just secure gold—it also set a new Schools’ National Record, making Joseph the highest vaulter in NSG history.
Over on the track, Clara Lim (RI) delivered yet another statement performance. Her 25.20s win in the A Girls 200m semi-finals broke Ismi Zakiah’s 25.32s record from 2018, making Clara a dual sprint record holder in both the 100m (2024) and 200m. Her mark also counts as a new Schools’ National Record, solidifying her place as one of Singapore’s all-time great student sprinters.
Inches, Hundredths, and Heartbreaks
Several others flirted with history but missed by a breath.
In the A Girls 400m final, Emily Ann Choi (VJC) delivered a perfectly timed comeback. Trailing through the bend, she found another gear down the home straight to claim gold in 59.52s—just 0.87 seconds off the 58.65 championship record set by Shalom See (NJC) in 2008. It was a breakthrough moment and a sign of more to come.
Over in the A Girls 100m semifinals, Teh Ying Shan (NYJC) clocked a personal best 12.31s, with Clara Lim (RI) just behind in 12.34s. Both were within striking distance of Clara’s own 2024 mark of 12.21s, and edged closer still to the hand-timed 12.20s standard held by Prema Govindan (AMK) since 1985.
In the B Girls 100m, Shannon Tan (CG) continued her breakout season, running 12.43s in the semis—a new PB and the fastest B Div mark in recent memory. She now sits just 0.18s away from Elizabeth-Ann Tan’s 2019 record of 12.25s, and well within reach of Mona Kunalan’s hand-timed 12.20s from 1987.
The barriers brought their own brush with history. In the A Girls 2000m Steeplechase, Hoh Ying Min (HCI), after two straight silvers in the 3000m, finally claimed her long-awaited gold—crossing the line in 7:39.74, just over a second shy of Vanessa Lee’s record (7:38.16, VJC, 2016). It was redemption, and nearly a record-breaker.
And in the A Boys 3000m Steeple, Noah Ng (VJC) led from the front and never looked back, stopping the clock at 10:04.98. It was not only a lifetime best and a commanding win—it was also the fastest A Div winning time since at least 2010, and just 8 seconds short of Narayan Paudel’s 9:57.25 electronic record from 2001.
Ranks Rewritten
Some wins go beyond gold—they shift the national conversation.
In the A Boys Pole Vault, Joseph Cheong (HCI) didn’t just clear a record-breaking 4.83m to win the title—he vaulted his way from 9th to 5th on Singapore’s all-time list. It’s a mark that puts him in the same breath as the country’s best, and a signal that the bar isn’t done rising.
* results obtained via Singapore Athletics archives and the respective World Athletics pages