Gerard Wong on why Dipna Lim-Prasad's 100m hurdles record was more sweet than bitter.
I GUESS my colleague's reaction on Saturday evening was to be expected.
I had filed a Sunday Times report on the new women's national 100m hurdles record set by Dipna Lim-Prasad at the Malaysia Open.
Dipna Lim-Prasad, 18, in training. ST PHOTO: Desmond Wee
The 18-year-old Singapore Sports School graduate had clocked 14.72sec in the final to break Eileen Chai's record of 14.81 which was set in 2005.
But that was not what caught my colleague's attention. "You mean she broke the record even though she finished last?" he asked.
And that, in a nutshell, is why Dipna's milestone was a bittersweet moment for me.
Obviously, it was bitter because despite being a new national mark, it was still far behind the times of eventual winner Dedeh Erawati of Indonesia (13.34sec) and runner-up Sheena Antilano of the Philippines (13.99sec).
And I am not sure if Dedeh, the 2007 South-east Asia Games champion, and Antilano are even near their peak yet for this year’s SEA Games.
Sadly, Dipna's new record is a reflection of how far Singapore athletic standards have plummeted since the glory days of the 1970s, the main highlight of which was Chee Swee Lee's capture of the 400m gold at the 1974 Asian Games.
Why is Singapore athletics in such a state? That's for the Singapore Athletic Association and the local athletics community to answer.
But here's why Dipna's feat was also a sweet moment for me, and why I had particularly enjoyed writing about it — it marks a significant breakthrough in her development as an athlete.
You see, I've known Dipna since 2004. She was one of the 138 kids who joined the Sports School as its pioneer batch of students when it opened that year. I was the school's communications manager at the time.
During my four years there, I watched her develop from a thin-as-a-rake 12-year-old into a promising runner. Yet, I always had a nagging feeling that Dipna didn't quite have that extra bit to be more than second-best in the 400m and 400m hurdles.
She spent her first three years at the School in the shadow of Valerie Pereira, who was the best in the 200m and 400m at age-group level.
Such was the gap between them: Two years ago, Dipna, then 16, clocked 58.68sec in the 400m at the National Schools Championships to set a B Division record. But that was still 0.65sec slower than Valerie’s national U-17 mark of 58.03, set in 2005 when she was just 15.
Last year, when it seemed Dipna was catching up with Valerie, and was also showing some promise in the 400m hurdles, along came a hurricane called T. Piriyah who blew everyone away to become the nation's new 400m and 400m hurdles queen.
The 15-year-old Sports School student caused jaws to drop at last year's National Schools Championships with her times of 57.11sec in the 400m and 63.86sec in the 400m hurdles. The former shattered Valerie's national U-17 mark. The latter obliterated Dipna's schools B Division record of 66.99sec.
All this left me wondering whether Dipna would ever become a national athlete to watch in her own right, or whether she would end up playing second fiddle to the Piriyahs and the Valeries, a strong relay runner at best.
Then came her breakthrough this year, thanks to a shrewd Georgian called Viatchelsav Vassiliev.
The Sports School sprints and hurdles coach, a former Soviet Union athlete, decided that her lanky 1.75m-tall frame and base speed of 12.6sec in the 100m (which compares favourably to Chee Swee Lee's 12.5sec at her peak) made her more suitable for the 100m hurdles.
So he switched her. It was a masterstroke.
Since clocking 15.8sec at the start of the year, Dipna has gone on to break the national junior record four times. And now she's the new owner of the 100m hurdles national record.
But Vassiliev thinks Dipna can go even faster. In fact, he has set her the target of meeting the qualifying mark of 14.14secs for next year's IAAF World Junior Championships.
Wow, it's enough to make you giddy with excitement.
However, this was the sweetest twist in the tale for me: Dipna wasn't even supposed to go to the Malaysian Open in the first place.
According to my sources, the SAA had originally picked her in for the meet. However it dropped her later after deciding to send only SEA Games-bound athletes.
Dipna was devastated. In the end, the Sports School told the SAA that it would pay for her trip to Kuala Lumpur and participation in the meet. And Dipna went on to repay the School's faith in her in the best way possible.
I know I will enjoy tracking Dipna's progress from now on and I do hope she qualifies for the World Juniors next year. For that would, in turn, make her one of the top hurdlers in our region and a possible medalist at the 2011 SEA Games.
Most of all, I am just happy that she has finally found her niche event, which has now enabled her to emerge as an exciting prospect to watch.
Bittersweet moment? Definitely more sweet than bitter, I say.
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Dear Jerry,
If Present SAA Management Committee not to be blame then who should take a LEAD and RESPONSIBILITY to Identify and Develope our National Athletes and work closely with stakeholders?
Hope the new CEO of SAA could do a better job.
Dear WW,
The problem as I see, starts from the coaches in school and not SAA. The hurdles is all about 3-stepping in rhythm, so how does a school coach spot the potential hurdler?
I believe most coaches will put up the hurdles at competition height and distance, pick up the taller boys and girls who can cross the barriers and make them do repetition after repetition. Primary school kids tend to be afraid of the hurdles. Afraid of knocking, afraid of falling, afraid of hurting themselves in the event that they trip. I can see from the photograph of Jannah Wong that even she, is afraid of the hurdles. You can easily judge this from the height she clears the hurdles.
Kids who are interested in learning how to hurdle should be made to feel comfortable 3-stepping. Hurdles height should be lowered and distance should be shortened for the individual during training. It doesn't matter how low or how near you begin with. The important thing is get the kids to enjoy themselves
to run over the hurdles and not jump over the hurdles. As they progress they will
learn how to get over the hurdles efficiently. Increase the height and distance gradually a little at a time. They won't notice the difference. All children do not grow at the same rate, if they are selected because of their height you will never be able to produce quality hurdlers. From here, you can create a pool, not necessary to win the Nationals but you have a pool who can compete together. The kids will have training partners which is very important in athletics. Then the kids with better rhythm will go on to learn the finer points of hurdling, their arm swing, their lead and trail leg...
It is the same for the 400m hurdles. How do you run a 400m hurdles race without adjusting your stride pattern and breaking the rhythm to clear the barrier when it comes. It all comes down to planning the race. While the shorter is about 3-stepping the whole race, the longer distance is about planning the number of steps to accommodate for each hurdle. As the lactic acid steps in, the athlete must know how and when to change his/her stride pattern.
I have had the pleasure of working with kids who loves to hurdle in the past. I created a pool even among ourselves and we were competitive. Some have even beaten the boys from the Sports School (I am not referring to the Singapore Sports School). However age has caught up and the 'energy' is not as what it used to be. I am not involved anymore, but I am still following what is happening in the local track and field scene.
I feel that it is unfair to just blame the association. At grass root level, it is the parents, the school, the coach and most importantly the athlete who can make things happen.
Jerry Lim
Dear Jerry,
Just want to share the article http://redsports.sg/2008/07/03/jannah-wong-80m-hurdles/ . You are right that all the hands must clap together and create a pool of talents and groom them. The problem is- Who should take the lead. As a parent, I have given full support to my child and if you are not the stake holder, you would not experience the frustration that we face with SAA.
I have been following the Singapore track and field scene for quite a few years and I feel that it is not fair to just blame the association for everything that has happened. Everyone has to work hand-in-hand to make things work, from the athletes and parents, teachers and principals, coaches and the association. Every child out there possess some talent, whether it is sprinting, jumping, throwing or even walking. it is our duty to spot the potential and make it happen. Even if you get a new Chief of SAA with brilliant ideas, there will still be no results if the link is broken and not everyone plays their part.
Congratulations to Dipna for breaking the National Record. Being a hurdles fan, I know that this is not a fantastic timing but it is a good start to better things. The hurdles in track and field has always been like a step-child event. This is an event for the sprinters or middle-distance runners who cannot make it into the 100m, 200m and 400m team. If you look into the men's record it is even worse, it took 42 years for Abdul Hakeem to come along to shatter the Men's 110m record. The big question mark is after Hakeem and Dipna who is next? They are the only hurdlers in Singapore who has dipped below 15 seconds in their respective events.
You need to create a pool of athletes in each event in order to be successful.
Yes you have many sprinters in the glamorous events like the 100m, 400m... Lets get real,
in South East Asia, we will never be able to match the Americans or Jamaicans. Focus on the less glamorous events that requires more technique than physique. Events like the hurdles, pole vault, discus, triple jump...
Singapore has lots of catching up to do in the hurdles. You need to create a pool of hurdlers - the Nationals is the best platform to kick things off. All 8 finalists in their respective divisions should be short-listed for training and development. Coaches also need to understand the requirements of the event. I am surprised that It took a foreign coach to see the potential in Dipna even though she has been in the sports school since 2004.
Hurdles is about rhythm and speed, not the athlete's height. In the age-group divisions, there are lesser participants as the height of the hurdles is raised according to their age.
This is because these young hurdlers are not taught the correct 3-stepping technique to clear the hurdles. And when it comes to the Men's Open height of 1.067m or 42 inches I only know of 2 hurdlers who are still active, Abdul Hakeem and Sharman. The All Comers for the 110m hurdles is always a boring event with a handful or only 3 participants.
So create a pool, start them young, have fun and you will see progress.
Jerry Lim
Congratulations to Dipna for breaking the Ntional Record,
Another classic case of how SAA might kill the interest of a raw gem. I must salute Sinpapore Sports School for having faith in her own Athlete. The coach has the experience and full perspective of the development of Dipna's potential. There are many Raw Gems like Dipna in Athletics to be discovered. What's is SAA doing about it? Well done, Dipna.
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