Now, who says money cannot buy success? Singapore prove they could. While Goh Chok Tong or Mah Bow Tan's promise of reaching the Soccer World Cup Finals in 2010, didn't materialise, the women compensate for it by winning the World Table Tennis World Championships in Moscow.
Although the winning players are foreign talents bought from China, they are nevertheless good buys. And the players themselves are going to be millionaires by the time they step foot on Singapore again in a few days' time.
MOSCOW: Singapore's trio Feng Tianwei, Wang Yuegu and Sun Bei Bei rocked the sports world in Moscow when they beat reigning champions and world No 1 China 3-1 in the World Team Table Tennis Championships.
It was sweet revenge for the Singapore women's team, ranked No 2 in the world, after they lost in the 2008 final and the Olympic final to the Chinese.
China, powerhouses in the men's and women's game for so long, were left stunned by a confident display from the Singapore women.
Feng, Singapore's world No 2, was the star of the team, after she beat China's world No 4, Ding Ning, in the first singles, before coming back to the table to clinch the winning point 3-2 against women's No 1, 19-year-old Liu Shiwen.
Earlier, Wang stunned Liu in the second singles, while Sun fell to Guo Yan, setting up Feng's epic finale as the Singapore women became the 2010 world table tennis champions.
Results:
Singapore bt China 3-1
Feng Tianwei (SIN) bt Ding Ning (CHN) 3-2 (8-11, 3-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-9)
Wang Yuegu (SIN) bt Liu Shiwen (CHN) 3-1 (11-7, 11-8, 2-11, 12-10)
Guo Yan (CHN) bt Sun Bei Bei (SIN) 3-1 (6-11, 11-6, 11-4, 11-6)
Feng Tianwei (SIN) bt Liu Shiwen (CHN) 3-2 (11-7, 14-16, 11-7, 9-11, 11-7)
