Rachel Yang Explained

National Team:Singapore
Birth Date:28 February 1982
Birth Place:Singapore
Height:1.57 m[1]
Weight:48 kg
Country:Singapore
Sport:Athletics
Event:Pole vault
Medaltemplates:Pole vault

Rachel Isabel Yang Bingjie (born 28 February 1982) is a Singaporean pole vaulter.

Career

Yang started pole vaulting in 2006 but suffered a career ending spinal injury in 2009. In 2010, she made an unexpected return, breaking her previous national record of 3.75m with a new mark of 3.81m, making her the first Singaporean to qualify for this event at the Asian Games.[2]

Yang briefly retired in 2012 after marrying her coach, David Yeo. She made a comeback in 2015 after giving birth to her first child in 2013, winning Singapore's first medal in the 28th South East Asian Games with a new national record of 3.90 m.[3] [4] [5]

Yang broke her own and the national record with a jump of 3.91m at the Thammasat University Sport Complex during the 2017 Thailand Open Track and Field Championships. She won the gold medal despite suffering from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in July 2016 and an injured heel just two weeks before the Championships.[6]

Career progression

YearHeightCompetition, Venue
20073.50mAsian Athletic C'ship, Jordan
20083.60mTaiwan Open, Chinese Taipei
20093.75mNegeri Sembilan Open, Malaysia
20103.81mSAA Pole Vault Series, Singapore
20113.82mSAA Pole Vault Series, Singapore
20153.83mMalaysia Open, Malaysia
20153.85mTaiwan Open, Chinese Taipei
20153.90mSEA Games, Singapore
20173.91mThailand Open, Thailand

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2018 CWG bio. 28 April 2018.
  2. Web site: Rachel Yang shatters women’s pole vault national mark Singapore Athletics. www.singaporeathletics.org.sg. 22 December 2015.
  3. Web site: SEA Games athletics: Singapore's Rachel Yang breaks pole vault national record. Channel NewsAsia. 17 December 2015.
  4. Web site: SEA Games: Rachel Yang wins pole vault silver - Singapore's first ever in the event. The Straits Times. 17 December 2015. May. Chen.
  5. Web site: Toddler spurs pole vaulter Rachel Yang to scale greater heights. The Straits Times. 18 December 2015. Berenice. Low.
  6. News: Ho . Cai Jun . Athletics: Pole vaulter Rachel Yang breaks own national record . 5 July 2018 . The Straits Times.