Slightly under a month ago, Singapore came to a standstill and watched Joseph Schooling make history in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Ang Peng Siong was no different, as he watched the 21-year-old win only the nation’s fifth Olympic medal and more importantly, the first one ever with a gold hue.

It was a watershed moment for Singapore sport, but it was also a particularly poignant one for the former national swim star.

“Winning that gold medal has always been something that, personally, I wanted for Singapore,” he told Yahoo Singapore earlier this week at Farrer Park Swimming Complex, home of the swim school he started 20 years ago.

“I think…” he trailed off, as emotions got the better of him, perhaps at what could have been. Ang needed a minute to compose himself before continuing the interview.

Fighting back tears, he said, “It’s a special moment... For Joseph to win the gold medal at the Olympic Games and to hear Majulah Singapura is definitely a rare occasion and something to celebrate for all Singaporeans.”

Ang was once ranked world number one in the 50-metre freestyle in 1982, though the event was not included in the Olympics until 1988. Six years later in Seoul at his second Olympics, the then 26-year-old missed the final by an agonising 0.04 seconds as he finished ninth in the heats.

But his preparations for that race had not been ideal, as Ang had to serve National Service and only managed to get six months off to train for the Olympics. It could have well turned out differently for someone who had come in fourth in the world championships two years prior in 1986.

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Ang Peng Siong celebrates winning at the 1993 SEA Games as then-Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong looks on. (Photo courtesy of Ang Peng Siong)

Athletes fight for nation’s pride

Citing Yip Pin Xiu’s Paralympic gold medal in 2008 - the country’s first and to date only one - as another example, Ang added that doing Singapore proud is the ultimate goal for most athletes when they compete. The 53-year-old himself has one Asian Games and 20 SEA Games gold medals.

The outpouring of national pride in the wake of Schooling’s victory was like a tidal wave, as the 21-year-old subsequently returned home to a hero’s welcome. Singaporeans thronged the airport and various other public appearances, including an open-top bus parade, while he was also honoured in Parliament.

“I think that’s what sports is about: bringing the nation together, and celebrating together,” said Ang, who was Yip’s former coach. “How many events do you have [where we can have] this sense of pride? As a national athlete, that’s the kind of emotions we want to project to the community.

“As long as we instill that dream in everyone that ‘hey, if Joseph can do it, if Pin Xiu can do it, why can’t I?’ - I think that’s pretty much the message we want to give to every Singaporean.”

How to nurture future swimming talent

Schooling has since declared that he is gunning for the 100m fly world record and Ang agrees that is well within his reach, though he feels Schooling should break it at the next Games in 2020 because “nothing beats breaking a world record at the Olympic Games”.



His success has also fuelled a sense of belief in the other members of Singapore’s swimming squad that they can qualify for the Tokyo Olympics and Ang stressed the importance of long-term planning to ensure the talent keeps flowing.

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