The Olympics

The Olympics have ended but boy, did it leave an impression on me!

My countrymen put Singapore in a higher position on the medal list, with an additional medal. They obtained for us 2 bronzes. They had given us 1 silver 4 years ago. One of the bronzes was an individual medal, thus ending the 52-year longing we had to obtain one! I salute their fighting spirit and tenacity to bounce back after defeat, specifically that of the Women's Table Tennis team. They had been sorely defeated by the Japanese team but gathered their battered spirits to trounce the South Korean team. Well-done! I am so proud of you! Thank you for a fantastic National Day present!

My favourite male tennis players were pitted against each other in the finals, a replay of the Wimbledon match earlier this year. Andy Murray was representing the host country England while Roger Federer, world no. 1, was representing Switzerland. I got the impression that the latter had purposely let the former get the gold medal. After all, he had beaten Murray soundly in the Wimbledon match. The way he played the match was one with less than his usual finesse and he made mistakes which did not fit his ranking. Granted, he had been worn out by his previous 4-hour match with the bronze medallist. However, he was smiling so broadly at the victory ceremony, despite having obtained only the silver medal. Somehow, it smacks of a sense of joy at having made someone else happy, and let him make his country proud for that moment.

How would Murray feel? Gratitude or Humiliation? It is probably a mixture of both, I reckon. Federer was a gentleman at giving him leeway during the match but at the same time, Murray may have felt insulted at being deemed desperate for a chance to make England proud, though as incapable of actually doing so. How would you have felt?