Team Singapore won its first gold medal at the 2019 edition of the Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, March 16.

Nurshalini Sahnef, the 15-year-old athlete, clinched the top position in the 200m sprint.

She also clocked a personal best timing of 42.53 seconds.

Wrong turn cost long-distance runners medals

There was also a moment of sadness earlier that day.

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A wrong turn cost long-distance runners Ahmad Sutrisno Suratman, 34, and Low Boon Chin, 33, medals in the half-marathon event even though their chances of coming in top positions were extremely promising.

According to Channel NewsAsia, the duo took a wrong turn after completing their first lap, and ended up at the finish line one hour ahead of their due time.

Ahmad's and Low's head coach told CNA that the two men were on track to beat their personal records and win medals, but the unfortunate turn of events robbed them of sporting glory.

Curiously, spotters along the route reportedly noticed that the pair had taken the wrong turn, but did not alert them.

And despite a formal protest lodged by Team Singapore, the results did not change.

Low and Ahmad -- both of whom have intellectual disability -- maintained their sportsmanlike behaviour.

They responded by simply putting on their red Team Singapore jackets and waited patiently to receive their participation ribbons upon hearing the final result.

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Introducing Low Boon Chin who will compete for Singapore in Athletics, Long Distance during @worldgamesad starting 14 March 2019! In 54 day’s time, join us to #MeetTheDetermined and to cheer on Boon Chin and his 7,000 fellow athletes from around the world. #MeetBoonChin #MeetSOSGAthletics

A post shared by Special Olympics Singapore (@specialolympicssg) on Jan 18, 2019 at 7:59pm PST

Despite the loss, Low said he felt good about this particular race and was gearing up for the next one -- a shorter 5km race on March 18.

Singaporeans cheer runners on

Commenters responding on CNA's Facebook post also offered a dose of positivity to cheer on the duo:

Singapore sent a total of 30 athletes for this year's Special Olympics in Abu Dhabi.

The Games will run from March 14 to 21.