Moment of the 26th SEA Games

As a Singaporean, I thought Joseph Schooling's jaw dropping record breaking 200m butterfly swim in Palembang was the moment of the 26th SEA Games. Today, a young lady with a badminton racket did one better.

At the Istora Senayan this afternoon, eight thousand patriotic Indonesians gathered to watch their country finish a sweep of all medals on the final day of the badminton competition. Make no mistake, badminton is larger than life in Indonesia, second only to soccer. Young and old, boys and girls play the sport across the archipelago and worship their badminton champions - many of whom have gone on to claim world titles. Indonesians expect to dominate this sport in South East Asia.

After two gold medals in the first two all Indonesian final fixtures, the crowd waited expectantly for the Women's Singles Final. In Indonesia, no one keeps silent during a badminton match. It is more like a boxing match, where the crowd cheers the favourite with each swish of the racket and boos the opponent when she does likewise. There are horns, whistles and clappers - the noise of which is exacerbated by the compact nature of the Istora arena. When Fu Ming Tian from Singapore walked in, the image I had was a gladiator entering a lion's den.

Ming Tian faced Adriyanti Firdasari, a taller and physically larger opponent from Indonesia. To the delight of the crowd, Firdasari dominated and claimed the first set easily at 14-21. Somehow, Ming Tian found strength to return the favour, dominate and win the second set 21-12.

The third set was pure drama. In an incredible and at times unbelievable sequence of play, both players exchanged blows with the point difference never more than two. They were 2-2, 7-7, 11-11, 15-15 and incredibly 19-19. Some of the rallies were breathtaking, involving more than 10 exchanges. When one made a mistake, the other would incredibly let the other back in with one of her own. Firdasari's name and cries of "In-do-ne-sia" rang around the stadium during rallies and between points, with the crowd trying to lift her to victory and to remind Ming Tian how alone she was. Ming Tian's response was to slow down the game. Between serves, she was slightly more deliberate in everything she did. And still she kept Firdasari close. When Firdasari moved to 20-19 and match point, the arena waited in expectation to cheer another Indonesian win. In disbelief, they saw this little girl bring the set back yet again to level at 20-20.

Shock was on the faces of all when Ming Tian brought the set to 21-20. In a series of net exchanges, Ming Tian's return bounced on the net cord awkwardly and tumbled on Firdasari's side. A stunned Firdasari looked at the umpire, hoping that such a shot surely would not count. Firdasari was saving match point for the first time. While Firdasari felt the weight of expectation on her shoulders, Ming Tian looked ever more determined, feeding on the hostility of the crowd. I looked at Firdasari and I knew the impossible was about to happen. The poor Indonesian cracked. Firdasari returned the shuttlecock to the net and fell to her knees. The few Singaporeans in the crowd jumped up, punching the air in unison to celebrate a most improbably win. In the stands, the head of the Indonesian badminton association graciously applauded and reached out to congratulate us. On the court, Ming Tian just stood there and beamed. She could not believe what she had done.

Fu Ming Tian, 21, became the first ever Singaporean to win a Woman's single SEA Games Gold medal in badminton ever - a sport Singapore has never excelled in. The last time Singapore celebrated a badminton champion was 27 years ago, when Wong Shoon Keat was in his prime, a time when Ming Tian was not even born. Ming Tian achieved this in an arena where almost all wanted her to lose. She had the mental strength to block the crowd out. In keeping toe to toe with her opponent, she demonstrated the strongest display of grit I have seen. And in winning the gold by the narrowest of margins she has delivered more than just glory to her country. She has written a story to inspire future generations of Singapore sportsmen and women for years to come.