Of Victors And The Vanquished

Singapore's Darren Choy and Tunisia's Anis Elmjid rounding the first mark during Race 2.

When my daughter was in preschool, she was given a T-shirt with the words, “If I can’t win, I don’t want to play!” She’s now learning that she can’t win every competition – but she wants to continue to play.

Every athlete competes to win. But there can only be one champion, and two others standing on the podium to share out the Silver and Bronze medals.

In the 14 days of competition – Soccer started on 13 August 2010, a day before the Opening Ceremony of the Youth Olympic Games – sports spectators have seen tears and cheers.

The Cubs, after failing to book a berth in the Boys Soccer Final, were the come-back kids who beat Montenegro 4-1 for the Bronze medal. Some have said their Bronze is worth their weight in gold! Whatever the colour of the medal that was placed on their necks, the mere 15-year-old Cubs have captured the imagination of a nation. Many red-shirted supporters arrived in droves to support them at Jalan Besar Stadium on 25 August, and they were not disappointed as the Cubs played like Lions. I believe many of these supporters will be following the progress of these growing Cubs and roar them to success.

Isabelle Li is lion-hearted at the table tennis table. She is expressionless when a match is in play. She only lets out an occasional “Yeah!” when she wins a point in an extremely difficult rally or the match-point. Most times, she just shakes clenched her fist up and down, as if reminding herself to keep the upper hand.

Seeded 7th, Isabelle, who will be 16 on 28 August 2010, managed to vanquish all but the top-seed Gu Yuting from China to take home the Table Tennis Girls Singles Silver medal.

She and Clarence Chew, who’s a year younger, also managed to play their way into the last 8 in the Mixed Team event, losing to the top-seeded team from Japan in the rubber set.

Singapore Table Tennis Association President Lee Bee Wah has said the both of them will be raised to the ranks of the elite squad after the YOG and given more opportunities to train overseas and play in international Under 18 age-group tournaments. In the meantime, Isabelle, who topped her cohort in Secondary 1 and Secondary 2, will be returning to class to catch up on her deferred Secondary 4 studies in the Express stream.

Nurul Shafinas Abdul Rahman is another athlete who wears the lion’s heart on her breast. She narrowly lost her chance to advance into the Taekwondo Girls 55kg Final by 1 point, and settled for the Bronze medal.

Wait a minute… Does Singapore Sports School have Taekwondo exponents?

Shafinas had played Netball on weekdays and practised Taekwondo when she returned home from Boarding School on weekends. To juggle two sports and balance them with studies is no mean feat. The through-train student-athlete had to practice great discipline to get to Republic Polytechnic, where she’s currently studying. And that, to her, is sweet success.

Alas! Darren Choy who has won Byte CII Class World Championship title twice in two years, failed to get any wind beneath his wings, finishing 7th overall. The 16-year-old told the press after his medal race on 25 August 2010 that he “cracked under pressure” in home waters with Singaporeans’ expectations riding high.

Some critics have jeered Darren’s non-medal finishing performance, just as they have described Soccer Goalkeeper Mohammad Fashah Iskandar S Rosedin’s failure to save all the balls aimed at goal as “schoolboy mistakes”.

Let’s take a moment to remind ourselves: They are schoolboys and schoolgirls.

At 14, 15 years old, they have been given the opportunity to compete against some of the world’s best in their age-group. And they have risen to the challenge.

It is easy for spectators to pass unkind remarks about athletes’ poor performances. As someone who has participated in high-level competitions as a young adult, I will have you know that it is not easy to perform your personal best under the glare of spotlights and spectators’ expectations. You need nerves of steel.

For our 22 student-athletes past and present who donned Singapore Colours at the YOG, Singapore Sports School salutes you – the victors and the vanquished – for you have all rallied the nation through sports and given us plenty to cheer about.

* Daniel Koh, Cycling (Alumnus)
* Valerie Lim, Modern Pentathlon (Alumnus): 13th
* Darren Choy, Sailing: 7th
* Mohammad Fashah Iskandar S Rosedin, Soccer: Bronze Medallist
* Muhammad Amirul Iskandar Khairul Anuar, Soccer: Bronze Medallist
* Syazwan Radhi Kasim, Soccer: Bronze Medallist
* Brandon Koh, Soccer: Bronze Medallist (1 of total 10 Goals)
* Mohamad Hanafi Mohd Akbar, Soccer: Bronze Medallist (2 of total 10 Goals)
* Illyas Lee, Soccer: Bronze Medallist
* Muhammad Hazim Faiz Hassan, Soccer: Bronze Medallist
* Muhammad Muhaimin Suhaimi, Soccer: Bronze Medallist (3 of total 10 Goals)
* Muhammad Irfan Asyraf Md Aziz, Soccer: Bronze Medallist
* Amanda Lim, Swimming (Alumnus)
* Clement Lim, Swimming (Alumnus)
* Pang Sheng Jun, Swimming (Alumnus)
* Isabelle Li, Table Tennis: Women's Singles Silver Medallist; Mixed Team (with Clarence Chew, Last 8
* Clarence Chew, Table Tennis: Mixed Team (with Isabelle Li, Last 8
* Nurul Shafinas Abdul Rahman, Taekwondo (Alumnus): 55kg Bronze Medallist
* Wendy Enn, Track and Field
* Goh Weining, Track and Field
* Liang Wei, Track and Field: 100m C Final Bronze Medallist
* Scott Ang, Triathlon (Alumnus): 29th

Congratulations and thank you!