Rachel Isabel Yang Bingjie (Chinese: 杨冰洁, born 28 February 1982) is a Singaporean pole vaulter.

Rachel Yang
Yang and her son, Zacchaeus, on the podium at 2015 SEA Games.
Personal information
National teamSingapore
Born (1982-02-28) 28 February 1982 (age 42)
Singapore
Height1.57 m (5 ft 2 in)[1]
Weight48 kg (106 lb)
Sport
CountrySingapore
SportAthletics
EventPole vault
Medal record
Women's Athletics
Representing  Singapore

Pole vault

Asian Athletics Championship
Silver medal – second place 2007 Jordan Pole vault
Asian Indoor Games
Bronze medal – third place 2007 Macau Pole vault
South East Asian Games
Silver medal – second place 2015 Singapore Pole vault
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Kuala Lumpur Pole vault

Career

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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

References

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