'Very touched and grateful': Feng Tianwei greeted by scores of supporters at Changi Airport

SINGAPORE: A sea of supporters erupted in a raucous cheer as Team Singapore’s Feng Tianwei returned home on Wednesday (Aug 10) evening. 

The crowd of around 100 people held up banners and excitedly thumped their balloon clappers together as Feng and her teammates walked out of the arrival gate at Changi Airport Terminal 3 just after 6pm.

Sixty children aged nine to 12 from the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA) junior team lined up on both sides to form a walkway.

The children, who had been waiting for the team’s arrival for nearly an hour, shouted: "Welcome Back to Singapore!"

But the loudest cheers were reserved for Feng, who bagged three gold medals in the women's team, singles and doubles events at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Her Singapore Airlines flight SQ319 touched down just after 5pm, while her teammates arrived five minutes after her on Lufthansa flight LH 778 at 5.05pm.

Fans rushed up to Feng as she emerged, eager to snap a picture with the athlete and get her autograph. 

Feng’s latest win brings her total medal haul to 13, putting her ahead of former national table tennis player Li Jiawei's tally of 10. This makes her Singapore’s most successful athlete at the Commonwealth Games.

The 35-year-old’s medal collection includes two golds and two silvers from Delhi in 2010, three golds from Glasgow in 2014, as well as one gold, one silver and one bronze from the 2018 Gold Coast Games.

According to the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC), her overall medal tally also makes her the most decorated table tennis player at the Games.

On Monday, Feng received another honour, becoming the first Singaporean as well as table tennis athlete to win the David Dixon Award for outstanding athlete at the Commonwealth