Calvin Quek clocked 50.27sec in the men's 400m hurdles to take gold, winning Singapore's first title in this event since the 1965 edition when it was still known as the SEAP Games. Photo: SNOC/ Eugene Goh Wei Hao
Shortly after winning gold in the men’s 400m hurdles, Calvin Quek took a moment to catch his breath and also to collect his emotions.
By crossing the finish line first in 50.27 seconds, the 29-year-old claimed a title that had not been Singapore’s since 1965 in the Republic’s first months as a new nation.
M Gunasena was Singapore’s last champion in this event. Since then, there have only been three bronzes – two of them taken by Quek himself.
The enormity of the occasion was not lost on Quek, who was overcome with emotion as he reflected on the winding road he took to the top of the podium.
He said: “There was a lot of pressure to win this gold after my National Record performances. It's just a lot of relief being able to finally achieve this.”
Quek finished ahead of Vietnam’s Nguyen Doc Son (50.80sec) and Le Quoc Huy (50.91sec).
Given Quek’s trajectory in recent years – he won bronze at the last two SEA Games – a breakthrough certainly looked possible. He is the first Singaporean to go under 52 seconds in the event, then also became the first to dip below 51 seconds.
In August, he crossed the 50sec barrier by setting a national record of 49.75sec.
Still, doing so on a stage that had for the longest time looked improbable to Quek himself demanded belief on top of effort.
A first gold in 60 years is a gift to country, but also validation for self.
He said: “My journey was a bit different in the sense that right up to the time I joined coach Luis (Cunha), I was not there. I was nowhere close to even qualifying for a major Games. Everything kind of changed in the two years I've been with him.
“He changed my life. Without him… let's not talk about gold medal, or medal. I wouldn’t even think about coming to this major Games. Even if I come to the major Games, I could just be running in the relay team as a reserve. So to be in this position, I have an individual event. I'm fighting for medal, a gold medal… honestly, I’m just thankful.”
Quek, who turns 30 in February, added: “For sure, there were a lot of people who had doubts, questioning why I'm still running now at the age of 29, but I think back to the point that my journey is a bit different.
“Don’t count out the ‘old’ people. We have seen enough athletes who are able to compete at the highest level, even in their mid-30s. I don't see why Singaporeans cannot without the right support in place for them.”
At the Suphachalasai National Stadium, another medal decades in the making also came to fruition in the men’s long jump.
Andrew George Medina posted a 7.53m on his sixth and final effort to take bronze, Singapore’s first medal in this event since 1983.
He said: “I had a lot of issues in the first three jumps. It progressively got better, which is why I left the best jump to last, even though I don't like doing that because you're a lot more tired.
“It's been quite a long year, so it was kind of tough coming into it knowing how long the year was. I was targeting the national record (7.62m), and I wanted a bit more, but I cannot be disappointed with a bronze medal.”
In the women’s 4x100m relay, the quartet of Kerstin Ong, Elizabeth-Ann Tan, Laavinia Jaiganth and Shanti Pereira clocked 44.41sec to rewrite the national record (44.66sec).
They finished fourth, but were over the moon with the result.
Said double sprint champion Pereira: “We worked so hard for this. We ran the Asian Championships, and we knew that we could go faster. So we came here just trusting all the training that we did.
“Every Saturday, under the hot sun, we were there training together, and it has brought us exactly what we wanted – that NR. We couldn't make the podium, but you know what? We'll celebrate the wins today.”
The men’s 4x100m relay team of Daryl Tan, Tate Tan, Xander Ho and Marc Brian Louis clocked 39.68sec and finished fourth.
The 33rd SEA Games are held in Thailand from 9 to 20 December 2025. For the latest Team Singapore coverage and news, follow Team Singapore on their social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) or visit the official Team Singapore website.