When swimmer Sophie Soon returned to Singapore from the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021, she was swiftly hustled into a van to start her mandatory two-week quarantine, which was in line with Covid-19 measures at the time.
On Sept 10, there was no sanitised hotel room waiting.
Instead, she and nine other Team Singapore athletes were able to bask in a warm welcome at Changi Airport.
Popular National Day song Home accompanied them as they walked into the arrival hall, cheered on by close to 100 family, friends and fans who showered them with hugs, flower bouquets, garlands and soft toys.
Soon, who is visually impaired, finished seventh in the 100m breaststroke SB12 final in Paris.
The 27-year-old said: "It's really quite a stark contrast to what my last experience was. It's... a heartwarming experience to see this amount of support.
"It encourages you to want to do your best. Even more so, it fuels you to want to go even further and try to reach better heights, because you know that you have a team rallying and supporting you."
Soon was part of the 10-strong contingent who returned from the Paris Paralympics on Sept 10. They clinched three medals - two golds and a silver in Singapore's best showing at a Paralympics.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September 11, 2024 من The Straits Times.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة September 11, 2024 من The Straits Times.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Striking scenes and staging in A Brooding Beast In The Corner
In a time of increasing awareness about humans' impact on the world and where climate change has led to greater urgency to address some of that impact, Arts Fission starts the year off with a frank, gritty look at the topic.
8 Tips From A Regretful Investor On What Not To Do
Stakes are high when you invest your retirement savings. It pays to be extra cautious.
Hatton in top 10 after a 'dream' Dubai title
Englishman Tyrrell Hatton eked past New Zealand's Daniel Hillier to win the Dubai Desert Classic on the DP World Tour by a single shot on Jan 19 at the Emirates Golf Club.
France in 'great shape' for Six Nations, says upbeat Dupont
France captain Antoine Dupont said Toulouse's thrashing of Leicester Tigers in the Champions Cup was the perfect warmup for the Six Nations.
Buy before you fly
Changi Airport is pulling out all the stops to get travellers to spend at the transport hub, with new boutiques and a revamped shopping campaign
Two fairy-tale figures exit, but leave lessons
Fairy tales aren't just feel-good tales, in sport they leave behind lessons. From Tien and Monfils came the same audacious one: Don't believe 19 is too young and 38 too old
Benefits of common decongestant found in many medications outweigh risks: HSA
The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) said the benefits of pseudoephedrine, a decongestant found in 31 medications here, outweigh the risks it poses, in response to reports overseas of adverse effects.
Learning Differences ● Drama Programmes Can Help Children With Dyslexia Develop Essential Skills
The Opinion piece on the transformative power of drama, especially in empowering children with dyslexia and other learning differences, resonated with me (No drama? We could do with some in our schools, Jan 11).
S'pore-listed firms have more diverse boards now than 5 years ago: Study
Progress made in percentage of women members, but not in cultural diversity
TV host sorry for Djokovic 'banter'
Australian broadcaster Tony Jones has apologised to Novak Djokovic and his fans for comments he made on TV on Jan 17 that the 10-time Australian Open champion considered \"insulting and offensive\".