EIGHT officers from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF)
returned home with a bagful of 20 medals from the World
Firefighters Games.
They won eight golds, five silvers and seven bronzes.
The officers fought hard in 12 events like badminton, high jump
and cycling to beat SCDF's previous medal tally of five in 2006 in
the event from Aug 21 to 29.
This is the second time Singapore has taken part in the
competition which takes place every two years.
Held in Daegu, South Korea this time, the games involved about
10, 000 participants from 60 countries such as Brazil, Hong Kong
and New Zealand.
The wins came as a surprise to Captain Ellena Quek, the team
leader who brought in half of the gold medal haul with her solid
performance in hurdles, high jump, triathlon and cycling.
'It was a very good experience. What we won exceeded our
expectations,' she said, adding that meeting firefighters from
other countries and swapping stories with them was something to
take home for her.
The team practised for about three months before the
competition, amidst their busy day-to-day work.
The next games will be held in Sydney, Australia, in 2012.
-- ST