Tan Howe Liang

Tan Howe Liang

At the opening of the YOG Learning Centre, 30 October 2008
Personal information
Born	(1933-05-05) 5 May 1933 (age 83) Shantou, Guangdong, China
Sport
Country	Singapore
Achievements and titles
Olympic finals	Silver medallist, (weightlifting, in the class to 67.5 kg) 1960 Summer Olympics
Medal record Representing  Singapore Weightlifting Olympic Games 1960 Rome Lightweight Commonwealth Games 1958 Cardiff Lightweight 1962 Perth Middleweight Asian Games 1958 Tokyo Lightweight Southeast Asian Peninsular Games 1959 Bangkok Lightweight

Tan Howe Liang, PJG (simplified Chinese: 陈浩亮; traditional Chinese: 陳浩亮; pinyin: Chén Hàoliàng; born 5 May 1933 in Shantou, Guangdong, China) is a Singaporean weightlifter who was the first Singaporean to win an Olympic Games medal. He did this in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome where he won the silver medal in the lightweight category. Tan also broke the oldest-standing world record in the lightweight category in the clean and jerk in 1958. He was the only Singaporean Olympic medalist until the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Tan was born on 5 May 1933, in Swatow, China, where he was the third of eight siblings. When he was four years old, he emigrated with his family to settle in Singapore, where he grew up in Chinatown. Tan's Teochew father died when Tan was 14. Tan left school after his first year at a secondary school.

Tan's weightlifting career started when he walked past the former World Amusement Park with his friends one day. There, Tan witnessed his first weightlifting competition and became intrigued with the sport.

Tan showed potential for weightlifting. After one year of training, Tan, then 20, became the national junior and senior champion in the lightweight division in 1953.