Olympians treated to island-wide cheers in victory parade
They may not have all brought home medals, but Singapore's Olympians got a hero's welcome back on their return from the Paris Games.
Ten of the athletes, including Singapore’s youngest ever Olympic medallist, 17-year-old Maximilian Maeder, were greeted by cheering crowds as they toured the island in an open-top bus on Aug 14.
The bus, decked out in Singapore colours, left the Singapore Sports Hub in Kallang just after 11.30am. From there, it snaked its way through the heart of the city, making stops at Bayfront Avenue, Chinatown, Orchard Road, Serangoon Road and Victoria Street before returning to Sports Hub.
Fans, many dressed in red and waving national flags, braved the unpredictable weather to cheer on the returning athletes. At each stop, the Olympians were met with a sea of excited faces and the joyous sounds of cheering and clapping.
"It’s wonderful to get to see everyone here," said a beaming Maeder.
The 17-year-old kitefoiler made history at the Games by winning Singapore’s first ever Olympic kitefoiling medal, a bronze, on August 9. This marked Singapore’s third bronze and its sixth Olympic medal overall.
“I’m happy that we all came together as a team here and get to wave hi to everyone who showed up,” he added.
Joining Maeder on the celebratory tour were fellow athletes shuttlers Yeo Jia Min, Terry Hee and Jessica Tan, swimmer Gan Ching Hwee, kayaker Stephenie Chen, sailor Ryan Lo, sprinter Marc Louis, and table tennis players Izaac Quek and Zhou Jingyi.
Even a sudden downpour as the bus passed through Shenton Way did little to dampen the spirits of the crowds or the athletes.
The outpouring of support clearly touched the returning Olympians.
"I was completely blown away," Maeder told reporters back at Sports Hub. "I had no idea that there would be such a cheer for us.”
The young athlete also shared a heartwarming moment of spotting his mother in the crowd.
“That was the only time I blew a kiss. It was so sweet to see her," he said.
Fellow Olympian Yeo echoed his sentiments: “When I first heard about this, I had mixed feelings because I don’t know if I deserve to be up there.”
The badminton player was eliminated from the Games when she suffered a heartbreaking defeat to Japan’s Aya Ohori.
“But seeing so many people coming out in red and white, waving their flags, gave me quite a lot of pride to be representing Singapore,” she added.
While 10 athletes made the bus tour, not all of Singapore’s 23-strong Olympic team were present.
Notably absent was badminton player Loh Kean Yew. Ranked 12th in the world, Loh reached the knock-out rounds in Paris, but lost to Denmark’s Viktor Axelsen, who went on to win gold. The 27-year-old announced the birth of his son while competing in the Games.
Sprinter Shanti Pereira, who battled injury before and during the Games, and shooter Teh Xiu Hong, who achieved Singapore shooting’s best Olympics result with a 12th place finish in the women’s 25m pistol, were also not present at the parade.
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