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VIENTIANE - With a final heave and roar out of the cage, veteran discus thrower James Wong turned to the clutch of Singapore supporters in the stadium and raised his arms in victory.
Wong knew he had done the business earlier, and didn't waste any time celebrating the Republic's first gold medal in athletics here at SEA Games.
The 40-year-old nine-time SEA Games gold medallist - eight in discus and the other from the hammer - had already wrapped up the title after throwing the 2.2kg disc 52.18m and 52.53m on his first and fourth attempts.
Try as they might, arch-rivals Numsonboon Kvanchai and Sawasdee Wansawang of Thailand could only manage best marks of 52.15m and 52.02m, respectively.
Just to emphasise the kind of form he was in, after coming out of a brief two-year retirement 13 months ago, Wong made his last throw a special one.
Just before the attempt, a Singaporean journalist in the stands shouted, "Come on James, throw it to Luang Prabang!"
The Nanyang Polytechnic lecturer responded with a 53.60m toss.
"It's been my longest hour ... this eighth discus medal is the icing on the cake for me," said the 127kg, 1.90m tall giant, who has held the Games record (59.50m) since 1999.
"By the second and third throws, my heart was pounding and I knew my opponents would try to push harder. My last throw was a relief and it's the furthest I've done this year. I needed to prove that I'm still here, and I'm still the best."
It was an emotional win for the father of two, who made his traditional victory lap with the Singapore flag, shouting, waving and hugging his supporters, including Teo Ser Luck, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports.
The thrower had decided to make a comeback after Singapore track and field's dismal outing at the 2007 Korat Games, which saw the contingent returning with just one gold from the women's shot put, courtesy of Zhang Guirong.
Decked in his specially designed "8possible" adidas track shoes, Wong said: "After seeing the result from the last SEA Games, I was very sad and thought, 'how can I let the sport die'... It's good to be able to contribute after laying off for more than a year.
"Since 1993, there has been a weight on my shoulders ... Games after Games, I was hoping for light at the end of the tunnel, but it's been getting darker and darker."
Newcomer Scott Wong, 19, who finished fourth with a best distance of 44.95m, could possibly fill Wong's size-13 shoes in the future. The veteran athlete gave the national serviceman his vote of confidence.
"He's a young athlete with technique and talent, but he will need a good coach and proper support."
Asked if he would consider donning Singapore colours at the 2011 Games in Indonesia, he said: "That's a good question because I will be 43 then and already I look like the oldest competitor here. Hopefully, someone will step up, and hopefully, there will be funding and support for the athletes."
Wong leaves for home on Saturday, and before that he has one more task at hand: Cheering on team-mates Zhang in the shot put and the men's 4x100m relay team today.
"I'll be there in the stands, cheering them on. They can count on me," he told MediaCorp. - TODAY
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