Sean Lim has become the first Singaporean man to break the 5m barrier when he jumped 5.01m to set a new national record at the Singapore Athletics Association (SAA) Track and Field Series 3.

Held at Bukit Gombak Stadium on Sunday, Lim cleared the height on his third and final attempt, smashing the previous record of 4.91m, held by training partner and Hwa Chong Institution student Chan Sheng Yao, by 10cm.

Lim, who will start medical school at National University of Singapore in June, has now broken the national record twice times in the last six months, when he jumped 4.90m in February and 4.83m last October.

He is now gunning for the 5.25m mark to qualify for the Commonwealth Games hosted in Glasgow in July.

Sheng Yao, a Hwa Chong Institution student, had also attempted to clear 5.01m, but was unable to do so.

David Yeo, who coaches both Lim and Sheng Yao, said: "I'm looking at Sean's long-term development. Now that the 5m barrier has been broken, it'll be easier for him to progress from here."