After 52 long years and three consecutive agonising near misses, Singapore have done it.
A table-tennis singles medal, which had proven so elusive all these years, was finally captured by Feng Tianwei at the London Olympics last night.
Bronze was the colour of the medal she won when she trounced Japan's Kasumi Ishikawa 4-0 (11-9, 11-6, 11-6, 11-5) in the third-place play-off to put Singapore on the medal standings in London.
But it must have felt like solid gold. No Singaporean paddler had ever won an Olympic table-tennis singles medal, and no one had taken home an individual honour since weightlifter Tan Howe Liang's silver in 1960.
"My form hasn't been too good - everyone knows this," said Feng, who won a team silver for Singapore at the 2008 Olympics but had struggled with consistency in the build-up to the London Games. "That's why I didn't have too high hopes for the Olympics. But today, I showed that I could do it. Maybe I need to believe in myself more."
Yesterday, with a medal on the line, at the exact same stage where Jing Junhong (Sydney 2000) and Li Jiawei (Athens 2004, Beijing 2008) faltered, Feng triumphed.
In front of a 6,000 capacity crowd at the ExCel Arena, which included President Tony Tan Keng Yam and Deputy Prime Minister and Singapore National Olympic Council president Teo Chee Hean, the 25-year-old ended the unwanted streak.
She made it look easy too - 52 years of suffering was history in just 29 stunning minutes as she showed off her full array of topspin forehands and angled smashes that the Japanese had no answer for.
When Ishikawa's return on matchpoint clipped the net and out of the table, the winner simply clenched her right fist - and smiled.
Perhaps she held back, knowing that the task is only half accomplished. Tomorrow morning, she will be joined by Wang Yuegu and Li Jiawei for an assault on the Olympic women's team title.
But history is at Feng's feet now. She is the Republic's first double-Olympic medallist.
Said President Tan: "Tianwei's victory today is a historic day for Singapore table tennis and for Singapore sport. I think what Tianwei has achieved today shows what is possible. I hope it will inspire more young Singaporeans to aspire to do likewise."
