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THEY were dubbed the 'Golden Generation' of Singapore track and field, their collective feats never repeated.
In nearly every event, Singapore's 1970s team boasted either a champion, a medal winner, or a record breaker.
On the track, there were C. Kunalan and Glory Barnabas in the sprints, Chee Swee Lee in the 400 metres, Heather Merican in the 100m and 200m hurdles, Sergit Singh in the middle distance and P. C. Suppiah and K. Jayamani in the long distance races.
Then there were Noor Azhar Hamid in the high jump and pole-vaulter Wong Chong Sai who also contributed to Singapore's South-east Asian Peninsular (Seap) and Asian Games successes.
The six golds, 16 silvers and seven bronzes from the 1973 Singapore Seap Games still stand as the Republic's best athletics performance at the biennial event, which has since been renamed the South-east Asia Games.
But, from the high three decades ago, local athletics has gone on a steep decline.
Only six SEA Games medals were won in the 1980s and 1990s - five of them from discus king James Wong.
Nine golds were bagged this decade - all from throwers.
At the Thailand SEA Games last month, Singapore won just one of the 45 track and field golds on offer.
'It's no secret other countries like Vietnam have caught up and overtaken us,' said Yeo Kian Chai, who competed in the 100m in the 1972 Olympics.
Said the 64-year-old: 'I still remember how the Thai runners came to Singapore in the late 1960s to pick up baton-passing tips from our then-national coach Tan Eng Yoon.
'Now, look at where they are.'
The Thais are the undisputed sprint relay champions at Asean level in recent years.
What then ails the sport locally?
Former greats interviewed said what pushed them was a huge dose of commitment - something many youngsters now lack.
'There must be that deep love for the sport and passion to succeed. Today, there are so many distractions, especially the computer,' said 1970 and 1974 Asian Games silver medallist Barnabas, 58.
Sprinter Loh Chan Pew recalled that the entire national team would gather at Farrer Park then, under the tutelage of Tan.
'The spirit among us was fantastic. Eng Yoon was so versatile, he'd be coaching people in both track and field events,' said the 1973 relay silver medallist
'At that time, we were just given the basic shirt and shorts and told to go out and train and win medals.
'Our personal drive was a big factor.'
One of the national women 4x100m relay coach's proteges, Amanda Choo, said many of her contemporaries are driven by self-glorification rather than their passion for sports.
'They depend on external recognition rather than self-belief,' she said.
Teacher Barnabas noted that studies take up a larger portion of youngsters' time these days.
She added: 'In an individual sport like track and field, you need a lot of motivation to keep pushing yourself, set higher goals, and train long hours all alone.
'It's very demanding on the individual unlike team sports, where there're others around you.'
Kunalan, now an assistant professor at the National Institute of Education's PE and Sports Science department, agreed.
The 65-year-old said: 'Another reason is that many talented athletes quit after they leave school.
'There isn't a vibrant club scene to catch and retain them, it's such a pity.'
What, then, can be done to revive Singapore athletics?
It is, after all, not too late to build up a pool of athletes for a medal assault at the 2013 SEA Games, which Singapore will host.
That would also fit in nicely, being the 40th anniversary of the Republic's best medal haul.
Said Tan, the honorary national coach from 1958 to 1970: 'I think what's important in finding talent now is to catch them young and get them interested.
'Look at sailing and shooting, their success in recent years stems from that.
'Then, clubs can take over once these athletes leave school.'
To that end, the Ministry of Education's recent move to set up Junior Sports Academies to train talented 11-year-olds can be seen as a step in the right direction.
Kunalan suggested reviving the once-vibrant athletics club scene.
Where, 20 years ago, the likes of Flash, Police Sports Association, Swift and Lotto all played a key role in identifying and nurturing talent, Swift can be said to be the only active one now.
Added Tan, 80: 'Perhaps, to borrow something from football, we also need more Centres of Excellence (COEs) sprinkled around the island.'
The Singapore Athletic Association currently runs the country's only athletics COE at Gombak Stadium.
Many of the Golden Generation said building up a pool of driven local coaches is also crucial.
'We must also get top foreign coaches from around the world to come here a few times annually for knowledge transfer sessions,' said Yeo.
Limze@sph.com.sg
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