THE POWER OF WE
Silver in 2009. Silver in 2011. Silver in 2013. Narrowly missing the much-coveted gold not once, not twice but thrice can all too easily demoralise impatient young men whose very essence is speed. But Singapore’s 4x100m relay team have been a study of admirable focus in the face of obstacles.
At the 2009 SEA Games in Vientiane, Laos, the team — made up of the quartet of Gary Yeo, Muhammad Elfi Mustapa, Lee Cheng Wei and Muhammad Amirudin Jamal — sprinted to an unexpected silver behind regional kingpins and Asian Games champions Thailand. In the process, they proved their critics wrong and reached several milestones, including breaking the 40-second barrier with a new national record of 39.82 seconds.
Two years later in Palembang, Indonesia, much was expected of the team of Calvin Kang, Amirudin, Cheng Wei and Gary as they lined up against strong opponents at the Jakabaring Athletics Stadium. In the end, they came very close to winning gold — but were just edged out by Indonesia. Both teams clocked 39.91 seconds, with hardly anything separating them.
Forward two more years to 2013 in Naypyidaw, Myanmar. The team’s silver streak continued as the quartet of Elfi, Calvin, Cheng Wei and Amirudin narrowly lost to Thailand in the final. Just like in 2011, the battle for gold was breathtakingly close as the Thais breasted the tape in 39.75 seconds, just ahead of the Singapore side.
Yet the story wasn’t just about the near misses. It was also about how the Singapore side made their mark as a team even though their individual times were not as impressive as those of their opponents.
In Vientiane, for instance, what stood out was the boys’ baton passing which allowed them to edge out the Indonesians. This was no small feat as Indonesia had the 100m and 200m champion Suryo Agung Wibowo in their line-up.
In Palembang, Singapore retained their silver despite fielding a quartet without relay captain Elfi, who was nursing a hamstring injury. The same determination enabled the team to win silver yet again in Naypidaw though Gary — the fastest runner among them — had to be sidelined.
Looking back at his boys’ near misses, coach Melvin Tan says he is proud of how they have bounced back from disappointment each time. “It is telling that our relay team in the last few years have featured these same few guys. They have all stayed focused even though there are so many things which can easily distract them.”
Of course, it will be great if their silver can turn to gold at the 2015 SEA Games on home soil. But for Gary, Elfi, Calvin, Cheng Wei and Amirudin, what matters most is that their explosive feats have fired the imagination of young boys — and girls.
Their hope is that many watching them will be inspired not just by their speed but also by their grit as they take on faster athletes not individually but as a team.
