asian games

Tao Li celebrates her win in the 50m Butterfly. (Photo courtesy of SSC)

Guangzhou, China, Thursday, November 18, 2010 — Tao Li won the 50m Butterfly in a new national record of 26.10 seconds to secure Singapore’s first gold medal at the Asian Games.

Japan’s Yuka Kato won the silver in 26.27 while China’s Lu Ying won bronze with a 26.29.

China’s Jiao Liuyang, who had won the 100m and 200m Butterfly events, was denied a clean sweep as she finished fourth in the 50m Butterfly.

Said Tao Li: “I think I was in good shape today. I passed up on some competitions in order to prepare for this Asian Games. I have satisfied myself and my country, Singapore.”

Tao Li broke her old record of 26.64 seconds in the morning heats when she clocked 26.52. She had set the old record during June’s National Championships. Tao Li clocked 26.73 when she won gold in the same event at the 2006 Doha Asian Games.

Her new best time is the 26th fastest in the world this year, and makes Tao Li the eighth quickest female, as well as fastest Asian, long-course 50m Butterfly swimmer in the world in 2010.

Barry Prime, Tao Li’s coach, said: “When the spotlight is on her, she revels in it. She is inspired by it.”

For the first time, the Singapore contingent got to hear the national anthem played in Guangzhou.

“For six days, we have been waiting for this moment. Finally the Majulah Singapura is being played and our flag is being raised,” said Chef-de-Mission Low Teo Ping.

“My warmest congratulations to Tao Li for a fantastic performance. She has proven that with grit, confidence and hardwork, Team Singapore can compete against the very best. Tao Li’s exhilarating display today will further inspire our athletes in Guangzhou,” said Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports.

Another national record was broken on the final day of the swimming competition. Rainer Ng clocked 26.32 seconds in the 50m Backstroke heats to break the mark of 26.37 which he set during August’s Youth Olympic Games, where he won a silver.

This marked the sixth time in little over two years when he has bettered or equaled the 50m Backstroke national record. Rainer finished eighth in the final, clocking 26.48 seconds.

Team Singapore could have ended up with an unlikely medal in the final event of the competition, the men’s 4x100m Medley relay. Rainer led off with a superb 57.08 in the backstroke, his fastest time in a non-textile suit. 15-year-old Lionel Khoo followed with a fast 1:03.41-split in the breaststroke, before Nicholas Tan (55.58, butterfly) and Clement Lim (51.47, freestyle) brought Singapore home in fifth place with a time of 3 minutes 47.54 seconds.

China edged Japan out for the gold by nine hundredths of a second in an electrifying battle, but Wang Shuai left the blocks before backstroker Sun Xiaolei touched the wall. The host country were disqualified and Singapore moved up a position to fourth, which might have been third if not for the smallest of a margin.

South Korean freestyle stalwart Park Tae Hwan left his blocks 0.01 seconds after his teammate Jeong Doohee touched the wall. It was a perfect changeover by Park, but any quicker would have landed the silver-medallists a disqualification as well – and a very unlikely medal for Singapore.