Rachel Yang
Singaporean pole vaulter
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rachel Isabel Yang Bingjie (Chinese: 杨冰洁, born 28 February 1982) is a Singaporean pole vaulter.
Yang and her son, Zacchaeus, on the podium at 2015 SEA Games. | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| National team | Singapore |
| Born | 28 February 1982 |
| Height | 1.57 m (5 ft 2 in)[1] |
| Weight | 48 kg (106 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Country | Singapore |
| Sport | Athletics |
Event | Pole vault |
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
| Year | Height | Competition, Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 3.50m | Asian Athletic C'ship, Jordan |
| 2008 | 3.60m | Taiwan Open, Chinese Taipei |
| 2009 | 3.75m | Negeri Sembilan Open, Malaysia |
| 2010 | 3.81m | SAA Pole Vault Series, Singapore |
| 2011 | 3.82m | SAA Pole Vault Series, Singapore |
| 2015 | 3.83m | Malaysia Open, Malaysia |
| 2015 | 3.85m | Taiwan Open, Chinese Taipei |
| 2015 | 3.90m | SEA Games, Singapore |
| 2017 | 3.91m | Thailand Open, Thailand |