Written By: Czaraim Carreon Edited By: Valerie Chua & Jolene Wong Photographs By: EusoffWorks
On your marks, get set, gold.
As the end of IHG drew near, the halls of NUS put forth their fastest on the crimson oval for the final event to mark the end of a month-long affair: Track.
IHG’s final event saw an unprecedented turnout on the bleachers of the SRC track. Supporters donned in their hall colours flooded the venue, armed with clappers, drums, flags and frenzied cheers.
The floodlights illuminated the track as dusk fell. Meanwhile, supporters eagerly flanked home straight, creating a warm and inclusive atmosphere. Amidst the fun, laid-back energy from the crowd, there was an undercurrent of palpable tension. Everyone knew what was at stake — the coveted IHG championship.
The men’s 4x100m relay commenced the night’s event, with the Eusoff team comprising Matt Tjeong, Cheng Tat, Alages and Ritz ready to rumble. With a solid start given by our Hall President Matt, Cheng Tat blitzed down the back straight before handing the baton to Alages. Finally, Ritz, Eusoff Track’s dedicated team manager, brought the team home in second place.
Second runner Cheng Tat passing off the baton to Alages
Next to take to the track was the women’s 4x100m quartet, comprising Gin, Larrinna, Vanessa and Xin Yan. The team’s passing was superb, a testament to their dedicated training to perfect this elusive art. This allowed Xin Yan to fend off a late challenge by the KR anchor runner; composed and unharried, she crossed the finish line in second place.
The 4x400m (M) event followed, as Eusoff fielded Jun Yang, Raymond Scott, Joel and Wei Shien. Eusoff’s first runner, Jun Yang, nullified the stiff competition with a strong start, before handing off the baton to national runner Raymond Scott.
A runner revered by many, he upended the race as the other halls struggled to stave off the onslaught he unleashed past the 200m mark. In an almost impossible feat and to the crowd’s amazement, he overtook the others and concluded the second lap in first place.
Third runner Joel sustained the momentum even as KR endeavoured to close the gap. Ever the tactician, he reserved his tank and had much to give when it mattered most. Having handed off the baton, the hopes of the entire Eusoff fell upon Wei Shien whose big strides made victory look easy and almost preordained. Despite having to duel with the KR anchor runner, who was an IVP track 4x400m runner, Wei Shien remained unfazed. He eviscerated the early lead KR’s anchor runner had accumulated had brought home Eusoff’s first victory of the night much to the thunderous cheers from the sea of yellow.
Jin Wen bulleting down the track with KE and RH hot on her heels
The fourth event for the evening was the 4x400m (F) relay, where the team displayed a valiant effort with admirable tenacity in the face of intense competition. Eusoff’s quartet, comprising Christy, Brenda, Jin Wen and Yu Jia, who despite their best efforts, consistently maintained a respectable fourth position throughout the race.
The final competitive event of the night was the Medley event, which saw participants from both the male and female teams forming a team. The Medley comprised of 2x100m (M and F), 200m (M), 400m (F) and 2x800m (M and F). Runners Larrinna, Ritz, Cheng Tat, Vanessa, Hui Xin and Zachary Devaraj, Zachatron, represented Eusoff in a race that went right down to the wire.
Larrinna, Eusoff’s female track captain, gave the team an early lead, which Ritz capitalised on as he completed his 100m. He handed the baton to Cheng Tat, who fought off a late charge by SH’s runner to maintain our lead. Next up was Hui Xin. Despite being pitted against a national athlete in KR’s female 800m representative, Hui Xin fought through the burning lactic acid and displayed indomitable spirit, ensuring that our ace in the hole, Zac, would have a fighting chance to seal the night for Eusoff.
The final 800m was a closely fought contest, with Zachatron, clearly the superior runner, hounding his KR counterpart all throughout the two laps. Through sheer grit and tenacity, he closed the gap to within 5m in the final stages of the race, and capped off the night in second place. Thus ended the competitive events for the night, with our boys finishing second overall by a mere point, and the girls capping off their campaign with a third place finish.
To wrap up this evening’s event, runners from Eusoff participated in the novelty race, a new addition to this year’s IHG Track events, as runners proudly waved their hall flags, displaying a united front as the team crossed the finish line together. We also fielded a combined team with TH, displaying inter-hall solidarity with our closest competitors.
With Jia Rong (flag bearer) taking the lead, runners Bobby, Crystal, Zhao Xiang and Lok Heng (L- R) ran as one united team
After almost a month of fierce competition, the time came for the IHG 18/19 Official Closing Ceremony. A stunt-filled extravaganza by the KE Titans and KR Steppers ensued, as the prizes for every sport were given out as followed:
M
FBadminton
EH
EHSoccer
SH
THTable Tennis
TH
KRVolleyball
EH
THNetball
EHFrisbee
THTennis
TH
THFloorball
EH
EHHandball
TH
THTouch Rug
EH
KRRoad Relay
TH
EHTakraw
THSoftball
EHSquash
TH
THBasketball
EH
EHSwimming
TH
KRTrack
KR
TH
With the individual sports awarded, the time came to announce the overall male and female champions of IHG, to which EH and TH won respectively.
For the finale, the crowd hushed as the emcees announced the most coveted prize: the Overall IHG Champions. Following a momentary pause that seemed to stop time, a deafening “Eusoff Hall!” cheer followed, as everyone clad in yellow stood victorious. Acknowledging TH for the spirited competition which kept our athletes on their toes. Overflowed with pride, the Eusoffians’ chanting inundated the stadium as they basked in the glory of being crowned Overall Champions as well as Men’s Overall Champions of IHG 18/19. Despite a strong showing from TH this year, our sportsmen and sportswomen brought the hammer down in the final weekend of IHG, to confirm the legacy of the Eusoff reign on inter-hall sports.
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