Hougang Secondary’s Nur Syafira denies Nanyang Girls’ High clean sweep in judo c’ships

SINGAPORE – The night before her National School Games (NSG) C Division judo final, Nur Syafira Shaharudin could barely sleep. The Hougang Secondary School student was understandably nervous ahead of the Under-45kg title bout on July 18, as her opponent, Chen Siyan, is from judo powerhouses Nanyang Girls’ High School.

But, with encouragement from her coach Lin Yu Sheng and her mum Indie Yati, Syafira rose to the occasion at the OCBC Arena by defeating Siyan with a left large hip throw and a back hip sweep for two half-points.

While Syafira was tired owing to a lack of sleep, her adrenaline rush after stepping on the mat kept her focused. In the process, the Secondary 2 student also prevented a C girls clean sweep by Nanyang.

The 14-year-old said: “I asked my mother to come today. I told her not to come yesterday (for the first day of competition) because I wasn’t really confident in my results. But when I reached the final, I really wanted her to be there so that I could have her support and win this.”

Nanyang went on to claim five of the six weight categories and retain the overall title, a feat which their coach Tang Jingfang, 31, attributed to the winning mentality of their judokas, who trained at least three times a week.

She said of their recruitment process: “We told them that they will be joining a competitive team, so I think most of them knew what was expected of them and it really helped a lot to set their minds in the correct direction.”

The high expectation was what kept Nanyang’s Nicole Yee up most of the previous night ahead of her U-42kg final.

The 13-year-old managed only four hours of sleep as she was thinking of ways to beat Assumption English School’s Megan Ong.

The Sec 1 student said: “I wish I used more of my techniques during the match, but I was too tired to think straight. I should also have probably eaten more for breakfast, because I had only vanilla ice cream.”

However, the cheers of her schoolmates proved to be the tonic Nicole needed to overcome her tiredness and defeat Megan with a late hip throw for a half-point.

She added: “Once I found out that Sec 1 students can take part in NSG, I knew I had to work really hard if I wanted to win.”

In the C boys, Hwa Chong Institution were the top team, winning four of the six titles, with St Gabriel’s Secondary School and Raffles Institution claiming one each.

St Gabriel’s title came in the U-75kg category through Lucius Ng, who beat Tiger Fu of Hwa Chong by an ippon, judo’s equivalent of a knockout, seconds into the match.

But the Sec 2 student still sees room for improvement after his maiden title as he will be facing older and stronger B Division rivals in 2025.

“This time I did the same throw over and over again. But I think I can learn more techniques and try something new, because next year I won’t be going up against people my age any more.”