Aini sixth on her debut

When she got back to the Paralympic Athletes' Village after competing yesterday, powerlifter Nur Aini Mohamad Yasli tucked into her favourite food, fried chicken.

"It was so good," said the 29-year-old.

"I've not had it in a very long time, so to finally have it, it tastes like heaven. I will definitely have more when I'm back in Singapore."

Aini had been on a strict diet of chicken breast, vegetables and healthy carbohydrates for months to maintain her weight for the Paralympics.

The treat came after she lifted 77kg in the women's up to 45kg event to finish sixth of nine competitors in her Paralympic debut at the Tokyo International Forum.

Aini is also the first powerlifter from Singapore to compete at the quadrennial Games.

Nigeria's Latifat Tijani took the gold after lifting 107kg, ahead of China's Cui Zhe (102kg) and Justyna Kozdryk of Poland (101kg).

Aini told The Straits Times that the experience had been "eye-opening".

Indeed it was.

The electronic dance music blasting through the surround-sound speakers gave the event gym-like vibes, with the booming voice of the event commentator adding to the big-stage atmosphere.

"The bar is loaded, 77kg. Representing Singapore, Nur Aini Mohamad Yusli."

It was the cue for the Singaporean to make her way to the stage.

Her face was steely with determination as she hoisted herself onto the bench to prepare for her first lift. But she lost her balance, with the bar tilting precariously to the left.

The spotters stepped in immediately to grab the bar off her.

She knew it was terrible form, shaking her head as she tore off her wrist-guard to await her turn for her second lift which turned out far steadier.

Aini turned to face the referee and beamed from ear to ear when she heard the announcer declare hers a good lift. She flashed a peace sign.

With a medal out of reach as rivals lifted heavier weights than her own personal best of 81kg - achieved in June en route to a bronze at the World Para Powerlifting World Cup in Dubai - Aini decided to go for broke during her third lift of 82kg.

While she missed her mark due to her bench press sequence, she has plenty to take heart from her Tokyo 2020 journey.

She told The Straits Times: "I was very, very happy that I managed to display the technique as planned. The goal here was to show we had proper technique in our lifts.

"I was pleased that even though I didn't do very well in my first lift, I managed to compartmentalise that and do better in my second lift. I was very pleased because I wasn't distracted by the result I got in the first place, so I chucked that aside and then I improved myself in the second lift."

Aini also admitted that she had less experience than her fellow competitors, but had gained some valuable insights from them.

"I've watched how they remained composed. That is something I will work on."

But for now, she will simply enjoy "the Singapore spirit", a term she coined to describe the bonds fostered among the Team Singapore athletes and officials.

"The whole Singapore contingent is very close this time because it's a small one," explained Aini.

"This morning, I was supposed to sleep in... so my housemates (swimmers Yip Pin Xiu and Sophie Soon) also slept in. They're all in solidarity with me. When I came back, they came to the dining hall to eat the fried chicken with me.

"That's the Singapore spirit we have. When all of us finish competing, we come together to celebrate."

Beyond her Games debut, Aini hopes to spark more interest in the sport.

"I hope this inspires my teammates and people with disabilities who want to try out the sport. I hope they now know there's this possibility to perform at a very high level in the sport," she said.

Over at the Tokyo Equestrian Park, Maximillian Tan finished 11th out of 12 competitors in the dressage individual test - Grade II. The 34-year-old and his horse Don's Day Dream scored 61.588.

Britain's Lee Pearson took the gold after scoring 76.265. Austria's Pepo Puch (73.441) edged out Briton Georgia Wilson (72.765) for the silver. The top eight also proceed to the individual freestyle test - Grade II competition on Monday.