Previously we wrote about Singapore's first two female Olympians, Tang Pui Wah and Mary Klass.

Read: S’pore’s first female Olympian, Tang Pui Wah: “In life, you conquer one hurdle after another.”

Read: S’pore’s Queen of Sprint Mary Beatrice Klass had to finish her housework before she could train

They were featured in Brenda Er's short film, When the Stars Align, on Singapore's pioneering female Olympians as part of a short film series by Honour Singapore.

Er's film also featured Singapore's third female Olympian: Janet Jesudason.

Jesudason broke Tang's 4-year record for the 100-yard race with a timing of 12.1 seconds, and later qualified for the Melbourne Olympics by clocking 12.5 seconds for the 100-metre sprint.

Both Jesudason and Klass represented Singapore at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne. Both were vigorous competitors and yet strong friends.  The ladies unfortunately did not make it past the heats in Melbourne.

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But it was her experience at the 1956 Summer Olympics that truly demonstrated the sportsmanship and spirit of our pioneering Olympians.

Despite competing against giants, Jesudason pressed on ahead with her race.

"[During training], I saw flashing past me, a huge muscular woman. Woah! I looked at them and I thought, "I'm like a piece of cotton wool compared to these women!" And then I realised how undertrained we were compared to these...women."

The sheer experience of being part of something so big overcame Jesudason, who had never let her emotions get the better of her during her races in Singapore.

"[Upon reaching the finish line] I burst into tears. The tears were streaming. It was the emotion of it all, the vastness of that whole experience."

She spoke of the connection that is sports, and how it has a quality of being able to bridge between different languages and nationalities.

But lastly, the most poignant lesson this Olympian left us echoed the words of Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the Olympics: "The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well."

"You don't have to be a winner all the time. You just have to go and do what you need to do; you do your best."

You can watch the short excerpt from When the Stars Align below:

Top screengrab of Jesudason (L) and Klass (R) from When the Stars Align.

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