Taekwondist Darryl Tan brings Singapore 1st YOG medal
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Taekwondist Daryl Tan wrote himself into Singapore's sporting history after he became the host's first medal winner at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in?Singapore on Monday.
The 17-year-old Raffles Institution (Junior College) student lost to the eventual winner Kaveh Rezaei of Iran 12-0 in the boy's 55kg event but took the bronze medal as there are no play-offs for the third place.
World junior champion Rezaei, 17, won the gold medal with a 4-2 victory over Nursultan Mamayev of Kazakhstan.
Tan was virtually guaranteed of at least a bronze medal in the 12-strong competition after winning his quarterfinal bout.
Daryl, who received a bye into the quarterfinals, defeated Myanmar's Shein Naing Dwe Shein 6-5 at the International Convention Center, to reach the semifinals this evening.
Hailing Daryl's unexpected success, Teo Ser Luck, the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Community Youth and Sports and Transport, said: "This is a great moment for Singapore and an even greater moment for Daryl Tan. We are right behind him as he heads into the semifinal and we salute his achievement in getting Singapore our first medal in YOG.
"He has shown that anything is possible, even for our small country. Our investment in youth development is starting to bear fruit and we hope Daryl will be an example to all our other athletes. We didn't expect to win a taekwondo medal but it truly is a wonderful surprise," he said.
