Strongman secures medal in a third sport

Timothy Loh has an unusual claim to fame: The Singaporean has now won four medals in three different sports at the SEA Games.

Yesterday, he also made history by capturing the nation's first medal in Greco-Roman wrestling after taking the bronze in the men's 130kg event.

He had finished third in the round-robin event at the Gia Lam Gymnasium in Vietnam after winning one of his three bouts in the four-man event.

He had lost 8-0 to home favourite and eventual gold medallist Ha Van Hieu, as well as Thailand's Nanthawat Panphuek. But an 8-0 victory over Laos' Xaisomboun Phetsouphane was good enough for the bronze.

This is the 110kg strongman Loh's fourth medal at the biennial multi-sport affair. The 30-year-old's debut came in 2013 in judo. He won bronzes that year and in 2015, before switching to sambo in 2019 and winning a bronze again.

Before Loh's latest medal in the Greco-Roman event, Singapore had one silver (2009) and four bronzes (2011 and 2019) which all came in freestyle wrestling.

Loh was unaware that his achievement yesterday had broken new ground for Team Singapore and when told, he exclaimed: "Wow! I didn't really think about that. That's nice to know. It's a comforting piece of information."

The part-time judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) coach and bar/restaurant consultant had been training regularly at the Wrestling Federation of Singapore in Bedok after his switch about a year ago.

He said he took up wrestling as it would help to add to his repertoire of skills and especially strengthen his grappling abilities.

One of the takeaways from his maiden attempt in the sport at the Games, he said, was that "South-east Asian competitors have a strong ground-based technique".

A particular difficulty for Loh was getting used to the lack of a uniform. In judo and sambo, athletes are clothed. "The main difference was not having something to grab. Another was an inability to attack the legs. I normally use my legs a lot so I had to change up my style to observe the rules in place."

In Greco-Roman wrestling, holds below the waist are forbidden and athletes cannot trip, sweep or hook an opponent's leg.

Despite being a newcomer in the sport, Loh admitted that he had gone into the competition gunning for gold.

But now that he has made the first step, he aims to go all the way at the next Games.

He said: "It's one of those things that as an athlete... you want to aim for the highest which was in this case, a gold medal. I can't wait for the next one already."