SEA Games: Team Singapore's top 10 moments

KUALA LUMPUR — Every two years, the SEA Games comes about and Singapore’s athletes make their mark in memorable fashion.

In 2015 on home soil, we witnessed iconic images like that of Shanti Pereira crossing the 200m finish line first with a mixture of disbelief and joy on her face and silat exponent Nur Alfian Juma’en sobbing as he sang Majulah Singapura.

Over the past three weeks, the 29th Kuala Lumpur Games has thrown up more defining moments from Team Singapore, who will return with their best ever away Games haul of 57 golds, 58 silvers and 73 bronzes. In no particular order, TODAY picks out the best 10.

SINGAPORE’S OLDEST WOMEN’S TRACK RECORD FALLS

She did not win any gold medals, but this Games will stay on long in Dipna Lim-Prasad’s memory. The 26-year-old finally achieved her aim of besting Chee Swee Lee’s 43-year old women’s 400m mark of 55.08sec, clocking 54.18s to become the first local female to go below 55s.

Lowering the longest standing women’s track and field record in Singapore history by almost a full second was sensational, but what made it more remarkable was that Lim-Prasad had sustained an injury earlier this month and battled illness last month.

Despite that, she managed to retain her silver in the 400m hurdles thanks to a stunning late burst that saw her go from fourth to second – perhaps a sign of what was to come in the 400m two days later.

Lim-Prasad, who was also part of the 4x100m relay side that set a new national record at the Bukit Jalil Stadium, gave a quote for the ages after the 400m as a bonus. “F*** it, just run,” was how she described the moment she decided to go for broke in the race.

Read more:

Dipna Lim-Prasad conquers self-doubt to break Chee Swee Lee's 43-year-old 400m mark

Dipna Lim-Prasad overcomes personal hurdles to win silver

Singapore women break 4x100m national record

A-QUAH-TIC PHENOM

Her elder siblings have flown Singapore’s flag with distinction over the years and at this Games, Quah Jing Wen proved she could hold her own as well.

The 16-year-old won individual golds in both the 100m and 200m butterfly – breaking Tao Li’s super-suit national mark for the latter – and three more in the relays to cap a successful second Games outing.

It marked the coming of age for Jing Wen, who had won five golds and one silver at the Commonwealth Youth Games last month and all eyes will be on her to emulate and perhaps surpass her elder sister Ting Wen and brother Zheng Wen.

Jing Wen will now be enrolled in the Texas A&M University to further her studies as well as swimming career and the hope is for her to blossom further in future.

Read more:

Quah Jing Wen wins 200m butterfly, sets new national record

Quah Jing Wen wins Singapore's 44th gold medal for country's best-ever away haul

Schooling’s a fan favourite again while Jing Wen’s star shines

Quah siblings take centre stage as Singapore dominate the pool again

HOLD ON TO YOUR HANDLEBARS

Eight years on from his SEA Games debut, Calvin Sim rode into Singapore cycling’s history when he triumphed in the men’s omnium to end a 20-year gold-medal drought.

The 27-year-old’s victory at the national velodrome in Nilai was the Republic’s first men’s gold in cycling since Bernard Wong won the point race in 1997 in Jakarta.

It also meant that Sim’s return to the biennial Game ended in glory, having had to wait eight years on from his debut in Laos in 2009 due to various factors like National Service, studies and work commitments.

Sim paid tribute to team-mate Goh Choon Huat for his crucial role in helping him to win and hopes his success, along with Luo Yiwei’s silver in the women’s omnium, will help take the sport further in Singapore.

Read more:

Calvin Sim wins Singapore's first men's cycling gold in 20 years

"Without Choon Huat, this win wouldn't have been possible," says cycling champ Calvin Sim

Debutant Luo Yiwei wins S’pore’s first-ever women's track cycling medal

BOWLED OVER

All eyes were on their female compatriots heading into the Games, but Singapore’s male keglers proved their mettle as they won a surprise gold in the team-of-five event.

Muhammad Jaris Goh, Darren Ong, Cheah Ray Han, Basil Dill Ng, Keith Saw and makeup bowler Timothy Tham stunned the competition at the Sunway Mega Lanes to emerge on top and win the Republic’s first men’s team gold in 22 years.

What made their feat even more remarkable was that the average age was just 20.1 years old. In other words, the last time Singapore won in 1995, Saw had barely just turned one, Goh was only over a month old, while Darren, Ray Han, Basil and Timothy were not even born yet.

READ MORE:

Singapore male bowlers stunned by first team gold in 22 years, dedicate triumph to late Henry Tan

PUTTING THEIR NAMES DOWN IN HISTORY

The quartet of Gregory Foo, Joshua Shou, Marc Ong and Joshua Ho recorded a gold for Singapore’s history books after beating Thailand to win the men’s golf team event for the first time ever.

Team Singapore’s golfers last won a gold in the sport at the 1989 Games, when Samson Gimson emerged tops in the individual category.

It was a hard-fought matchplay contest that went into sudden death, where Ong, who settled for individual silver two days ago, kept his cool to help his side to a famous win.

READ MORE:

Singapore golfers win first-ever team gold

ICE COOL FIGURE

The first ever SEA Games winter sports gold was won by a Singaporean when Yu Shuran took the figure skating crown at the Malaysia National Ice Skating Stadium.

The 17-year-old, who is based in Beijing and targeting qualification for the 2018 Winter Olympics, glided and spun her way into the judges’ hearts to clinch victory, though she admitted afterwards that her routines could be better.

Team-mate Chloe Ing, 18, made it a one-two finish for Singapore by taking silver.

Read more:

Singapore's Yu Shuran creates history with ice-skating triumph

KIDS CAN WIN TOO

At the tender age of 13, Radiance Koh’s star looks set to shine bright after the sailor, who is the youngest member of Team Singapore’s 568-strong contingent, won bronze in the Under-16 women’s Optimist class.

The Nanyang Girls High student had boldly targeted a podium finish in her Games debut and showed great determination to make it a reality. She will return home with quite a story to tell her classmates.

Read more:

Singapore sailing pair strike gold in laser events

HOPING TO MAKE A RACKET AGAIN

Can the glory days return to Singapore squash again? That is what the sport will be hoping after the men’s ended a 22-year wait for gold in the team event by beating the Philippines in the final.

Samuel Kang held his hands to his head in disbelief after winning the point that gave the Republic their first men’s title since 1995, as his team-mates Benedict Chan, Pang Ka Hoe and Vivian Rhamanan leapt in delight.

The women narrowly missed out on a first team gold since 1993 but the players hope their three-gold achievement, which also includes the men’s and women’s jumbo doubles titles, will lead to more support, as they look to challenge Malaysia’s hegemony.

Read more:

Singapore's squash players hope for more support after historic men's team gold

DAD’S THE WORD

Two years ago, Amita Berthier’s father told his daughter, then a volunteer at the Games, that she would make it to the competition one day.

His faith was vindicated and more as 16-year-old Amita took to the piste this time and won gold in the women’s foil to cap a dream debut.

It was an emotional triumph for the talented fencer as she dedicated the gold to her father, who passed away early last year.

Compatriot Lau Ywen, 17, the 2016 World Junior champion, added to the gold tally by taking the women’s sabre crown to seal her comeback from a serious back injury.

Read more:

Dream debut ends on an emotional note for fencer Amita

Lau Ywen caps remarkable return from injury by winning fencing gold

ARCH OF TRIUMPH

Six years ago, Michelle Sng decided to hang up her high jump spikes at the Bukit Jalil Stadium. Returning to the venue for the first time since that decision, the 30-year-old came full circle in the best possible way by winning Singapore’s first gold in 52 years.

It was only the Republic’s second ever gold in the women’s event after Cheong Wai Hing’s victory at the 1965 edition and the waterworks was in full flow during the victory ceremony for Sng, who only made her comeback to the sport in 2014.

Read more:

Michelle Sng wins Singapore's first women’s high jump gold in 52 years after successful appeal