Singapore, August 11, 2022: Singapore welcomed home its award-winning Commonwealth Games hero on Wednesday, August 10 – table tennis veteran Feng Tianwei.
Feng, 35, won the David Dixon Award on being named outstanding athlete of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games for winning three gold medals, taking her CWG total to nine gold and 13 medals in total from four CWG.
Channel News Asia reports that a 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 Wednesday.
Sixty children aged nine to 12 from the Singapore Table Tennis Association 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.
Fans rushed up to Feng as she emerged, eager to snap a picture with the athlete and get her autograph.
Speaking to reporters at Changi Airport, Feng said she never expected to win so many awards.
“I’m still very excited about the results and haven’t been able to calm down since,” she said.
“Looking at all the people who came here to support me at the airport, it also makes me feel very touched and grateful for all their support over the years.
“Having represented Singapore for so many years and being able to win for the country and see the Singapore flag and hear the National Anthem play was a very good feeling,” she said.
As for the future, she added: “I have been coughing and my body hasn’t been feeling well, so I think I will just rest for a bit.”
