Commentary: Golds are great, but SEA Games success for Singapore athletes takes all forms

HANOI: My question about her joyous reaction to winning gold elicits a pause from silat exponent Nurul Suhaila Mohamed Saiful. As she composes herself to reply, there are tears in her eyes. By the time she finishes, there are tears in mine.

"So many years of doubting myself, getting the bronze three times was very hard for me. I spent a lot of time away from my family," the 27-year-old said, striking gold at long last in the women's Class E (65-70kg) tanding event on Monday (May 16).

"So this time, I wanted to make my parents proud and prove to them that the time away is worth it, it’s for me to grow, to be the best athlete that I can be. I hope my parents are proud of me.”

For the newly-crowned SEA Games champion, it was about more than just defeating her opponents. It was about conquering self-doubt.

There are many stories like Suhaila's among our national athletes at the 31st SEA Games. Their journeys differ, but their tales are bound by a common thread: Determination, strength, perseverance and sacrifice.

Hours in the gym, on the road, away from their loved ones - all to be at their peak. Getting to Hanoi has taken hard work but they will leave with achievements far beyond their results.

You win or you lose, there is hardly room for anything in between. The world of sports is a cruel one.

In match reports, contests distilled down to the bare bones: The score, the result, the victory. Headlines are written, opinions are formed.

“No one remembers who took second place and that will never be me", the late Italian race car driver Enzo Ferrari once wrote in a letter.

At every major Games, the medal tally is a constant reminder of where nations stand and how they compare to others. It is a barometer of whether there has been