Past sportsmen helped pave way for future generations

Congratulations to Joseph Schooling for winning Singapore’s first Olympic swimming medal, and making it a gold medal and Olympic record, too.

His star shines bright, his career will no doubt be a storied, decorated one, and his feat will pave the way for greater things for sports in Singapore.

Lest we forget, Ang Peng Siong would have won Singapore’s first Olympic swimming medal in the 50m freestyle had it not become an official Olympic event only in 1988.

He was the United States swimming champion and the world’s fastest swimmer in 1982, and was an All-American from 1981 to 1984.

And there is Tan Howe Liang, who won Singapore’s first Olympic medal: Silver in weightlifting in Rome 1960. If football were an individual Olympic event, Fandi Ahmad would have brought back a medal, too.

Let us salute these men who have brought glory to Singapore and paved the way for athletes such as Joseph, the Quah siblings and many others.