July 30, 2021, 12:27 AM
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Yu Mengyu, the battling paddler who was inches away from claiming an Olympic medal for Singapore, bowed out in fourth place in the Women's Singles event for Table Tennis in the evening of July 29.
Having lost to world number one Chen Ming in her semi-final match, and suffering a flare-up of a knee injury, Yu had one last chance to claim a bronze medal.
However, she went down 4-1 to Mima Ito of Japan, ranked third in the world, in a gruelling war of attrition.
At around 9:50pm on July 29, Yu took to her Facebook page to share a message.
She thanked all those who helped her, and said that without their support, she couldn't have reached the Games.
Yu said that she was a "little regretful", and that her body was not "strong enough", but she did her best.
She was also philosophical about her performance, saying, "A life with a little regret is real life."
Yu's post was flooded with comments from well-wishers, who commended her grit and thanked her for flying the flag for Singapore.Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong also paid tribute to Yu in a Facebook post of his own.
He shared that Yu was carrying a back injury, but still pressed on and managed to defeat top-ranked opponents.
Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin, who is in Tokyo with Team Singapore, also commended Yu's efforts.
Yu may have to settle for fourth place for now, but her efforts will be remembered long after the Games are over.
Top image from Tan Chuan-Jin's Facebook page.
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