On 8 Sept 1960, Tan Howe Liang made history when he became the first Singaporean to medal at the Olympics.
He won silver in the lightweight category for weightlifting, in a feat that was described in the papers as a “miracle”.
One of Singapore’s most prolific athletes, Tan remains the only Singaporean to medal at the Olympics, the Commonwealth, Asian and South East Asian Peninsular (SEAP) games.
Even after his retirement, he continued to foster the next generation of weightlifters who also went on to medal at international competitions.
Prior to the 1960 Olympics in Rome, Italy, Tan was already seen as Singapore’s hope for not only its first medal, but its first gold.
During the trials held to determine who would represent Singapore, Tan had reportedly broken the then-world record for his category.
But perhaps more importantly to Tan, more so than the prestige he would bring to Singapore, was the promise he had made to his father, who had died when Tan was 14 years old.
“I promised my father I will be one of the strongest men in the world,” he said.
His vow would be tested at the competition on 8 Sept because the event went anything but smoothly.
Source: @sgolympics on Instagram
The story was recounted to the papers by his coach Chua Tian Heck.
During the press, Tan started with a lift of 115 kg. However, the judges signalled for a faulty lift.
Coach Chua quickly protested the decision, feeling that Tan’s lift was good. He had to make a deposit for the protest.
Source: @sgolympics on Instagram
Fortunately, Coach Chua’s appeal worked and Tan’s lift was approved — and Coach Chua also received his deposit back.
His second lift was similarly met with a faulty lift ruling.
Coach Chua once again made a protest, even noting that the spectators were booing the judges. Unfortunately, the faulty lift ruling stood.
Discouraged by what was happening, Tan failed his third attempt.
Coach Chua remarked that Tan’s efforts was good enough to put him in third out of 33 competitors, and good enough for a bronze medal.
The coach then registered Tan for an attempt at 150 kg.
They would have to wait an hour and a half for his turn to lift, but disaster struck during that time.
Tan approached his coach to tell him that his legs were in pain. He had developed cramps on both of his thighs.
He was seen by the medical team, who recommended a full rest for Tan.
However, that would mean giving up on improving on the results at the competition.
“[He] wept and told me not to take him away,” Coach Chua recalls Tan saying. The pair could only pray as Tan’s turn was fast approaching.
But in what Coach Chua describes as a “miracle”, Tan could feel the cramp leaving him just 30 minutes before he was due on stage.
The coach helped Tan to a seated position and asked him to stand up. With his own two legs, Tan managed to stand.
With barely any time left, Tan began to warm up for the attempt.
He went onto the stage “shakily”. During the lift, he had a slight blackout, causing him to fail the attempt.
Tan asked his coach how much he would have to lift to get the silver. It was 155 kg — a tough ask considering he had just failed the 150 kg.
He would also have to break the Olympic record by a full five kilos, yet Tan was determined.
Coach Chua described it as a “big gamble”. It paid off. Tan got on stage, lifted the weight clean and took the silver.
Source: Singapore National Olympic Council
The coach even described the crowd cheering for Tan to keep going and lift the 157.5 kg as well.
And although Tan obliged the crowd, he could not jerk the weight after more than 10 hours of competition by that point.
“Although the Russian lifter won the gold, Howe Liang was the hero of that night,” the coach recalled.
Just to cap off a rocky competition, the Italian officials had mistakenly placed the Japanese flag for Tan and had to scramble to make corrections.
Source: @sgolympics on Instagram
Although the 1960 Olympics may be his biggest triumph, it is far from the only story that showcases his grit.
In the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Tan passed out during a lift attempt. He had to be carried off stage.
Despite everyone telling him to retire from the competition, Tan refused and got back on stage.
His efforts were only good enough for ninth place, but he had won the admiration of everyone there that day.
In the following years, Tan would medal again for Singapore in multiple international competitions.
Source: Wonderwall.sg
He was made the national weightlifting coach in 1968 and soon after, he retired from competing.
The people he coached would go on to medal for Singapore at multiple competitions, including the ASEAN Weightlifting Championship, South East Asian (SEA) Games and Commonwealth Games.
He passed away on 3 Dec 2024 at age 91.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from Singapore National Olympic Council and @sgolympics on Instagram.