Low Jun Yu breaks national pole vault record for the seventh time with 5.34m effort

SINGAPORE – With a massive 24cm improvement on his national record, pole vaulter Low Jun Yu rewrote the mark for the seventh time in two years, raising the bar once more.

His eyes were on another bar when he was younger, though. While selecting his co-curricular activity in Secondary 1, he had wanted to pick high jump but was told that at 1.4m, he was too short for it.

While his high jump dream did not materialise, that opened the door for Low to pursue pole vault under the guidance of coach David Yeo. It took him six years to catch up with his peers and win for the first time at the 2019 National School Games. But the 1.79m Low has progressed steadily since, claiming the national record in July 2022 with a 5.03m jump.

On July 3, Low rewrote the record three times as he cleared 5.34m to clinch gold at the Asean University Games in Surabaya, Indonesia, having gone into the competition with a personal best of 5.10m set in April. Indonesian Idan Fauzan Richsan bagged the silver with a 5.15m effort, while Malaysian Naufal Shahrul Afzam (5m) took home the bronze.

Low, 23, said: “My coach would say it is a long overdue result. I had a good series of competitions leading up to this one and glad that all the stars aligned.”

At Surabaya University’s Athletic Field, Low surpassed his previous record with a 5.15m jump. He went on to register 5.25m then 5.34m – both in one attempt each to top the three-man field, but was unable to clear 5.4m.

It was a significant leap for Low, whose latest effort was higher than the 5.2m that earned Thailand’s Kasinpob Chomchanad the silver medal at the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia. Ernest John Obiena of the Philippines won the gold in a Games-record 5.65m.

Low, a National University of Singapore undergraduate, credited Yeo and a supportive team for his achievements. Teammate Koh Wei Shien was also a key source of inspiration for him.

When Koh joined the team, he set out to jump 5m in three years, a goal that Low initially thought was impossible until Koh leapt 4.91m in December 2023, when Low also bettered his 5.03m record by three centimetres.

Low said: “Spending time with him got me to realise that there is nothing wrong with dreaming. The only problem is not having the courage to go and chase it.

“I have always had a coach and team that believed in me and Wei Shien was the one that truly got me to believe in myself and have the courage to work towards my goals.”

Low added one centimetre to that record at the Singapore Athletics (SA) Allcomers Meet 3 in March, before rewriting it once more with a 5.10m vault at the Singapore Open Track and Field Championships the following month.

He will be working towards the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in November and is also eyeing a spot at the Thailand SEA Games in 2025. But he knows that competition will be stiff.

Obiena, who holds the Asian record of 6m, is ranked second in the world and has won a silver and bronze at the world championships. Kasinpob recorded 5.40m in June 2023, while his compatriot Patsapong Amsam-ang, the 2023 SEA Games bronze medallist, holds the Thai national record (5.61m).

Low said: “It is going to be challenging to chase some of the top pole vaulters in our region who are Asian and world-class.”

On his ambitions, he added: “To bring Singapore’s standard of pole vault higher so that the next generation will go even further than me.”

SA general manager Shalindran Sathiyanesan said: “Jun Yu has consistently progressed since breaking his first national record in 2022, and his recent performance of 5.34m is an extremely remarkable achievement.

“We are very thrilled to witness his development and are committed to supporting him as he aims for even greater heights in the future.”