S'pore's 1st Olympic medallist Tan Howe Liang dies at 91

Tributes pour in for trailblazer in Singapore sport who made history at the 1960 Rome Games

- Kimberly Kwek

A generous father figure who went the extra mile - that is how former weightlifter Ang Hwee remembers his coach Tan Howe Liang, Singapore's first Olympic medallist, who died of pneumonia on Dec 3. He was 91.

When Ang started training for his first weightlifting competition at the ClubFitt gym in Kallang in 2001, funding was hard to come by.

But Tan, who had won a historic silver medal in the lightweight division at the 1960 Rome Olympics, would hand over the entire $500 monthly allowance he received as a weightlifting coach to his protege for food and attire.

That unselfish act shown by Tan left an indelible mark on Ang throughout his sporting career and working life.

"In 2006, I won the silver medal at Thailand's King Cup and was awarded a small sum of money which I offered to him, and I remembered he was very touched," said Ang, 44, who last competed in 2007 and is now a financial services director with insurer AIA.

"I will never be able to repay his kindness, it was just a nice gesture. I now have a successful career because of all the lessons he taught me."

Ang's tribute was among many that poured in for Tan, who is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.

President Tharman Shanmugaratnam wrote on Facebook: "You can't help feeling emotional thinking about Tan Howe Liang, who achieved so much with so little... How he won a silver medal at the Rome Olympics despite injury. It was one for the ages, as they say. Howe Liang remains one of our most inspiring Singaporean stories.