Different Sources

Photo By Nicky Loh/Getty Images for Singapore Sports Council
By Jason Cai

The gold medals came but from very different sources. One was from bowler Cherie Tan, an increasingly familiar household name, while another was delivered by a pair of unknown athletes in contract bridge as the SEA Games in Indonesia entered its homestretch today (Nov 20).

Bowling

At the Jaya Ancol Bowling Centre in Jakarta, Cherie, who had earlier clinched golds in the women’s singles and women’s team events, continued her sizzling form. She beat Malaysia’s Sharon Koh 497 pinfalls to 372 pinfalls in the gold medal match to win the women's Masters title. Another Malaysian Zandra Aziela took the bronze.

Contract Bridge

In contract bridge, the unheralded Tan Yoke Lan and Seet Choon Cheng clinched first place in the women's pairs event at the Jayakarta Hotel in Palembang, with a score of 284 out of a possible 480. In doing so, they won Singapore's first gold medal in the sport, which is making its debut at the SEA Games. Thailand and Indonesia took the silver and bronze medals respectively.

Synchronised Swimming

Also in Palembang, the synchronised swimmers bagged yet another silver – this time in the free routine duet event. Competing at the Jakabaring Aquatics Stadium, Stephanie Chen and Crystal Yap scored 72.476 points to finish behind the Malaysians (76.051) but ahead of the Indonesians (71.563). Earlier, the Singapore team had won a silver (technical duet) and a bronze (technical team).