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Singaporean Feng Tianwei defied the odds on Sunday, Aug. 7 to clinch the gold medal against her compatriot Zeng Jian in the table tennis women's singles event.
In a video posted by CNA, which has since garnered over 7,200 reacts and over 149,000 views, Feng, 35, was seen getting visibly emotional as she stood on the podium, as Singapore's national anthem played in the background at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham.
A hard-fought medal
Feng's gold medal is her third in the event, after 2010 in New Delhi and 2014 in Glasgow. In 2018, she had had to settle for bronze in the games at Gold Coast.
In a dramatic comeback at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, Feng used all of her experience to fight tooth and nail, in order to eke out a victory against Zeng, 25, who is 10 years her junior.
Despite having to cope with several injuries, Feng pushed on to regain the three-game lead set by Zeng, in the all-Singaporean finals, to win 4-3.
In response to Feng's win and outpouring of emotion on the podium, most commenters were overwhelmingly positive.
Via CNA Facebook
Via CNA Facebook
Via CNA Facebook
Several individuals also thanked Feng for her contributions to the Singapore table tennis scene over the years, and commended her on her never-say-die attitude during the game.
Via CNA Facebook
Via CNA Facebook
15 years in service
For the uninitiated, Feng has been on Singapore's table tennis team since 2007, when she made her international debut for Singapore as an under-21 player at the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Pro Tour Volkswagen Korean Open.
Feng, who was born in Harbin, China, first moved to Singapore at the age of 20, under the former Foreign Sports Talent Scheme in March 2007.
She went on to win several medals for Singapore, including a historic silver medal in the 2008 Olympic Games, with fellow teammates Lee Jiawei and Wang Yuegu. The medal marked the first time Singapore had won an Olympic medal since its independence in 1965.
Feng, who has three Olympic medals under her belt, subsequently won the bronzes in the singles and team events in the 2012 Olympics.
However, in 2016, Feng was dropped from the national squad in Singapore.
The association said then that she did not fit into the Singapore Table Tennis Association's (STTA) “plans for rejuvenation”.
She was later selected to represent the country again in the 2017 SEA Games.
According to the Singapore Olympics website, eight golds, three silvers and a bronze makes Feng the Commonwealth Games’ most decorated paddler thus far.
You can watch the emotional moment here:
Top image via Entertainment Mediacorp/YouTube and Tan Chuan-Jin Facebook