Singapore’s First Olympic Medallist, Tan Howe Liang, Dies at 91 Years Old

Singapore’s first Olympic medallist, Tan Howe Liang, has passed away at the age of 91.

He died of pneumonia.

Singapore’s First Olympic Medallist, Tan Howe Liang, Dies at 91 Years Old

On Tuesday (3 December), Singapore’s first Olympic medallist, Tan Howe Liang, passed away from penumonia.

The weighlifter won Singapore’s first Olympic medal at the 1960 Rome Olympics, clinching a silver medal in the lightweight division.

He managed to do so despite dealing with cramps in his legs just an hour and a half prior to his final lift. Doctors had even advised Tan to withdraw from the competition to seek medical treatment.

Yet, Tan did not listen — the then-27-year-old went on to lift 155kg in the clean-and-jerk, bringing home Singapore’s first Olympic medal.

How Tan Howe Liang Started Weightlifting

But, how did Tan get into weighlifting in the first place?

Tan originally hailed from Swatow, China. He was born in 1933, and only moved to Singapore with his family when he was four years old.

It was in Singapore, where the young Tan discovered his interest in weightlifting.

After seeing a strongman competition at the now-defunct Gay World Amusement Park, Tan decided to pick up weightlifting. Later on in 1952, he joined the Evergreen Weightlifting Party for 50 cents a month and began training seriously.

At this juncture, if you’re thinking: “Wah, 50 cents only ah? Nowadays, my gym membership at least $50 sia.” Well, we hate to burst your bubble but, 50 cents wasn’t exactly the smallest sum back in those days.

In order to pursue weightlifting, Tan had to take on several different jobs — he worked as a dockworker, store clerk and even an electrician, in order to fund his training and participation in competitions.

And fortunately, his hustle paid off.

A year later, Tan earned himself the title of being Singapore’s national champion. But this was the only the beginning of all that he would achieve.

He later went on to set the world record in the clean-and-jerk at the 1958 Commonwealth Games, and claimed gold at the Asian Games as well as the South-east Asian Peninsular (SEAP) Games in 1959.

So, 1958, 1959 — what’s next? 1960.

Well, we already know what he managed to achieve in 1960 lah… Singapore’s first Olympic medal leh, how to forget?

Two years later, in 1962 Tan claimed another gold at the Commonwealth Games held in Perth. He then retired in 1967.

Tan Howe Liang’s Legacy

Yet, even after retirement, nothing was going to stop Tan from doing even more. He went on to guide other Singapore athletes such as Chua Koon Siong and Teo Yong Joo in their sporting journeys — both athletes later managed to take home the bronze medal from the Commonwealth Games.

But that’s not all. The legendary weighlifter’s legacy can also be found in Project 0812 — the project which aimed to place Singapore athletes on the Olympic podium again. The inspiration behind the project was Tan himself — Singapore’s first Olympic medallist.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) even awarded Tan with the IOC Diploma of Merit in 2016, for all that he had done for the Olympics movement.

Sharing about Tan, IOC member Ng Ser Miang stated: “Howe Liang is a constant reminder of what it really means to fight through adversity, and being able to come out strong and persevere through it all.”

And that, ladies and gents, is Tan Howe Liang’s legacy.