Hanoi, Vietnam, May 15, 2022: For some of the bigger nations here at the Southeast Asian Games, a silver medal can be just a footnote alongside the long list of gold on a daily basis.
This is not the case for Timor Leste, however, as a second-place finish in the men’s 5,000 metres on Sunday made headline news in Hanoi and especially back home in Dili.
The Timor Leste hero was Felisberto de Deus, the 22-year-old Tokyo Olympian who won a three-man sprint for second place behind Vietnam’s comfortable winner Nguyen Van Lai, who clocked 16:34.12 at the My Dinh National Stadium. De Deus was 20 metres behind in second place.
“This has made big news in Timor Leste,” said Laurentino Guterres, Secretary General of the National Olympic Committee and a member of the SEA Games Federation Council.
“Not only was it our first medal in this SEA Games, it was also the first medal for athletics in SEA Games history.”
Laurentino said the silver medal was richly deserved for De Deus, who competed in the 1,500 metres at the Tokyo Olympics.
“He is from a rural area one hour from our capital Dili and trains in the mountains. Our training facilities are not so good in Timor Leste but Felisberto has always tried to achieve his dream and worked very hard.
“Since he won the silver medal, my phone has not stopped with text messages and congratulations to the athletics federation. Let’s hope he can also do well in the 10,000 metres.”
Felisberto is very much an all-rounder on the track. He competes in the 1,500m, 3,000m steeplechase, 5,000m, 10,000m and half marathon.
The Timor Leste NOC Athletes’ Commission and Air Timor were among the groups to congratulate him. “On behalf of Air Timor crews and proudest families, we would like to extend our warmest congratulations to Felisberto de Deus for winning the silver medal in SEA Games athletics (men's 5,000m). This is Timor Leste's first medal at the SEA Games this year. May you continue to strive for the best in inspiring other Timorese for more transformative change,” Air Timor said.