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KORAT, Thailand: The twins were at it again Monday, but this time, they had a man for company.
While David- Jonathan Chan's bronze medal in the men's pommel horse failed to match the feat of identical twin sisters Tabitha and Nicole Tay, who won gold and silver respectively in the women's floor exercise, the 22-year-old's feat was the first in the SEA Games for a Singapore male gymnast in 20 years.
Chan clinched the bronze medal at the Indoor Stadium 1 here in Korat with a score of 14.750, finishing behind the hosts' Thitipong Sukdee (15.210) and Kaewpany Rartcharat (15.100), who took gold and silver, respectively. The last time a Singapore male gymnast had won a medal at the SEA Games was in Jakarta in 1987, when Song Hwa Liow took the bronze in the men's parallel bars.
Speaking afterwards, Chan, a University of Michigan sophomore majoring in aerospace engineering, said he did not expect to win a medal.
"I actually flew in on Dec 2 from Michigan and still have to rush back for my exams which begin on Thursday," said Chan, who has a flying licence.
"With exams on my mind, I wasn't expecting anything here."
Chan, who flew back to the United States hours after his success, added: "I was really fired up mentally and when I went out there, I just kept telling myself to get the focus right and give it my best shot.
"It worked out in the end."
Singapore's gymnasts won four more medals on the final day of competition.
Tabitha and Nicole, 16, made it a 1-2 finish for Singapore in the women's floor exercise.
Tabitha, the younger of the two by seven minutes, scored 14.450 points to win gold, with Nicole taking the silver (14.050) and Vietnam's Do Thi Ngan Thuong the bronze (13.850).
Tabitha also won a silver in the women's vault final, while Nicole grabbed a silver in the women's uneven bars.
Counting the women's team triumph and their double win in the all-round event, Tabitha finished with three golds and one silver, while Nicole collected two gold medals and one silver. - TODAY/ac
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