Tan Howe Liang, Singapore's first Olympic medallist, dies aged 91
Tan won silver in weightlifting at the 1960 Rome Games, making him the country's sole Olympic medallist for almost half a century.
Olympian Tan Howe Liang poses with his silver medal that he won at the 1960 Rome Olympics. (File photo: SNOC website/Project 0812)
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SINGAPORE: Weightlifter Tan Howe Liang, Singapore's first Olympic medallist, died on Tuesday (Dec 3) at the age of 91.
Tan won a silver medal at the 1960 Rome Games, making him Singapore's only Olympic medallist for almost half a century.
It would not be until 2008 in Beijing when Singapore's women's table tennis team - Feng Tianwei, Li Jiawei and Wang Yuegu - would win the country's next Olympic medals.
"(Tan) was a sportsman born ahead of his time, chasing sporting glory at a time when a pre-independent, third-world Singapore paid little attention to anything other than economic progress," read an obituary by the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC).
Born in the Chinese city of Swatow in 1933, Tan emigrated to Singapore with his family when he was four.
He became interested in weightlifting after witnessing a strongman competition, and started training seriously in 1952.
Tan broke the clean and jerk world record at the 1958 Commonwealth Games before winning gold at the Asian and Southeast Asian Peninsular (SEAP) Games in 1959.
Following his 1960 Olympic feat, Tan would go on to win gold at the 1962 Perth Commonwealth Games.
However, he would ultimately retire after failing to repeat his performance at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
In a tribute to Tan on Wednesday night, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam said the Olympian "remains one of our most inspiring Singaporean stories".
"You can't help feeling emotional thinking about Tan Howe Liang, who achieved so much with so little," he said in posts on Facebook and Instagram.
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong also took to social media to pay tribute to Tan.
"Singapore mourns the loss of a true legend and trailblazer in sports. Tan Howe Liang was our first Olympic medallist, an inspiration to generations that came after," he said.
"His historic silver medal at the 1960 Rome Olympics in weightlifting left an indelible mark in our sporting history. He showed us what was possible with his grit, resilience and indomitable fighting spirit. His remarkable legacy will forever remain a source of pride and inspiration for Singapore."
SNOC president Grace Fu, who is also the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, said: "Howe Liang's achievement has inspired many generations of Singaporeans.
"Athletes of his generation had much lesser, but they accepted what they had and trained hard. His achievement in Rome goes to show what one can achieve, if one simply devotes himself to it."
Former national thrower James Wong, who won 10 SEA Games gold medals between 1993 and 2011, also paid tribute to Tan, calling him a "real champion and a warrior".
"Thanks for making us all ... believe in our own ability and working hard to achieve the impossible," Wong said in a Facebook post on Wednesday. "You will be forever missed."
