On the first day of the 2024 Under 13 FOBISIA Games, our student athletes rolled out of the opening ceremony with smiles and excitement, ready to compete in a compact athletics schedule in one of the highly competitive school groups.
In Thailand's 38° heat and humidity, our BISS lions excelled in the competition as the medals came in and our BISS Lions’ hard work and dedication came to fruition. After 12 athletic events, our dedicated Lions came back with 20 medals! The best athletic performance as a squad in over 10 years!
One of the many highlights of the morning came from Tina Heynderickx (8P) in the 100m. After false starts and a controversial race start causing the race to be run again, Tina held her composure and discipline throughout and came away with Gold in the 100m (A) race. Alongside this, fantastic performances came from Darren Li with 300m (A) Gold, Silver in the (A) Javelin, and Bronze in the 100m (A), showing his skillset and contributing to the high number of medals. Further outstanding performances came from Juul Loos in the 1500m with Gold, Luke Kim in Discus with Gold, and Lana Grant in 1500m (A) with Gold.
We are very proud of our BISS Lions and the performance across the board, both on and off the track and field stadium, it was a joy to watch. For a full list of medallists and places, please see the below (we are awaiting official times from FOBISIA):
Total Events: 24 (12 A/12 B events)
Total medals: 20
Girls: 10
Boys: 10
Athletic Results Boys
Darren Li (8I): 300m (A) Gold, Javelin (A) Sliver, 100m (A) Sliver, Relay (A) 4th
Juul Loos (9B): 1500m (A) Gold, 800m (A) Sliver
Michael Fazzone (8P): 1500m (B) Sliver
Westin Kong (8I): High Jump (B) Sliver, Relay (A) 4th
Yoon Jang (8P): Javelin (B) 4th
Joshua Wong (9S): Relay (B) 4th
Tjark Heinrichs (8S): High Jump (A) Bronze, Relay (A) 4th
Luke Kim (8P): 100m (B) Sliver, Relay (A) 4th, Discus (A) Gold
Zachary Prendi (7B): 800m (B) 4th, Relay (B) 4th, Discus (B) 5th
Victor Xiao (8B): Shot Put (B) TBC
Anyu Wang (7B): No athletics
Oskar Martin (7S): No athletics
Athletics Results Girls
Emilie Kummer (7I): 800m (B) Bronze, 300m (A) Bronze, Relay (A) Bronze
Gaia Giuliano (7U): Relay (B) 4th
Lana Grant (7B): 1500m (A) Gold, 300m (A) Bronze, 800m (A) 6th, Relay (A) Bronze
Anessa Doi (7I): Shot Put (TBC), Relay (B) 4th
Jenna Park (8P): Long Jump (B) 5th, Relay (B) 4th, High Jump 4th
Irene Ortego Lafuente (8P): Long Jump (A) Bronze, Discus (A) 6th, Relay (B) 4th
Tina Heynderickx (8P): 100m (A) Gold, 200m (A) Sliver, Relay (A) Bronze, High Jump (A) Sliver
Eva Zhang (8P): 1500m (B) Bronze, 100m (B) 4th, 200m (B) 5th, Discus (B) 4th
Lauren Rave (7B): Triple Jump (B) 4th
Avelyn Low (8P): Shot put (A) (TBC)
Sherry Guo (7P): No Athletics
Jasmine Hume (8B): No Athletics
FOBISIA Boys Basketball
The first game of the tournament was scheduled for a 07:30 start. The team were up at 05:30, at breakfast for 06:30 and then warming up by 07:00.
A slow start was rectified by the second half, with the team securing a 21-14 win over ELC of Malaysia. The second game was very competitive, against the British School of Manila. There was a 3-point difference up until the 4th quarter. When the gap reached 10 points, BISS utilized the time to save some energy for the final group game, resulting in a loss 33-16. The final group game took place after lunch and was the deciding game of which school would advance to the finals against another Norda Anglia school from Kuala Lumpur. The game ebbed and throwed, with each team taking the lead on numerous occasions. An injury to our point guard Darren, and low conversion percentage from the free throw line, saw BISS Puxi, lose the game 27-23 and narrowly miss out on a semifinal spot.
BISS moved into the 5th and 6th place play-off, where we utilized the entire squad to minimize injury and heat exhaustion. The team played well against Garden International School, with all members of the team getting equal playing.
All in all, it was a fantastic performance from the team, and they have laid a marker for next year’s FOBISIA squad to improve upon.
Boys Football
‘In the FOBISIA football tournament, our team displayed remarkable tenacity, starting with a draw against Discovery Bay International and narrowly losing 1-0 to the tournament champions. Our players excelled, defeating the British International School of Kuala Lumpur and advancing to the semi-finals, where we faced a tough 5-2 defeat against Harrow Beijing. Despite a close loss to the British School Manila in the bronze medal match, our team's performance was commendable. Competing in extreme heat and against top Asian schools, our players showcased their potential and competitive spirit. This tournament was a valuable learning experience and a proud showcase of our growing football prowess.’
Girls Football
On the final day of a very competitive FOBISIA competition that had already included athletics, swimming and basketball, the BISS Puxi Under 13s girls mustered all of their remaining strength and determination to compete with some of the top schools in Asia in a football competition. |
With Sherry and Eva unfortunately ruled out of football action due to injuries picked-up in the previous few days, the remaining 10 girls showed incredible work rate and teamwork in the searing Thailand heat, sticking to their game plan throughout, and being flexible when called upon, regardless of the position in which they were being asked to play. The opening group game was against DBIS, who, from this point, went on to win the entire girls football tournament. However, our girls were able to hold them to a 1-1 draw thanks to a late powerful run and finish from Irene.
Despite a 2-0 loss in the next game, a solo headed goal from Jenna took all the points in the third and final group game to leave them with one win, one draw and one loss. Unfortunately, this was not quite enough to progress to the semi-finals on this occasion.
However, the girls kept their heads held high throughout and were never too dejected. After all, for such a committed and united squad of young footballer, there will always be another football match or competition just around the corner for them to once again prove themselves!
FOBISIA Blurb – Girls Basketball
Day two of our FOBISIA Games was dedicated to a Basketball Competition our team of girls started strong with a 15-10 win against ELC International School. This boosted team morale and put the girls in good spirits for the day. In the second match the girls came up against the British School of Manilla and were defeated by this team (who went on to win the competition overall). The final match of the round robin brought out true character and determination as it was a ‘must win’ to secure a place in the semi-final. The girls managed to come out on top in a close battle of 9-8 against British School of Kuala Lumpar, securing their semi-final position.
Building on skills and strategies throughout each performance the girls continued to improve and impress and increase in confidence. They fought a tough semi-final battle against Rugby School Thailand but were unable to capitalise on possession, finishing in fourth place overall and falling just short of the podium.
FOBISIA Blurb – Swimming
After the exciting morning of Athletics competition, our athletes refuled with lunch and turned their focus to an afternoon schedule packed with Swimming events. The competition began fiercely however, the weather deteriorated quickly and the event was temporarily postponed. Students waited in anticipation for a decision to be made with many unknown possibilities. Luckily the weather cleared just in time for continuation of the competition.
The lions had no choice but to adapt quickly to the competitive circumstances. With a small but dedicated team of swimmers our BISS Lions had a tough task ahead.
Our 50M Medley Relay Team composed of Sherry Gao, Lauren Rave, Jasmine, and Eva Zhang who powered through with a bronze medal performance. Another strong performance came from Victor Xia who gained a silver medal in the 100m Breaststroke event.
Finishing eight place in the competition overall, but still proud of our small team of swimmers and the individual performances put forth.
