Lloyd Valberg becomes Singapore’s first Olympian

At 4 pm BST (British Summer Time) on 29 July 1948, King George VI of the United Kingdom declared open the 14th Olympic Games held in London.^[1] High-jumper Lloyd Oscar Valberg was one of 6,000 athletes in the stadium to witness the opening ceremony.^[2] As the colony’s sole representative in the games, Valberg became the first athlete to represent Singapore in an Olympic Games.^[3]

Valberg, a versatile athlete, was a high-jumper, hurdler and triple jumper.^[4] In 1947, he adopted the “belly roll” jumping technique to set a new Singapore high-jump record of 1.87 m.^[5] At the time, a lack of funding meant that the Singapore Olympic and Sports Council could only afford to send one athlete and one official to the 1948 London Olympic Games.^[6] Valberg’s ability to consistently clear the high-jump bar at 1.87 m earned him the right to represent Singapore at the games.^[7]

In order to qualify for the final of the Olympic high-jump event, Valberg needed to clear at least 1.87 m. During the qualifying round of the high-jump event, which was held at Wembley Stadium on 30 July 1948, Valberg did not enter the competition until the high-jump bar was raised to 1.80 m; he cleared it at his first attempt.^[8] He also cleared the bar with his first jump when it was raised to 1.84 m. However, when the bar was raised to the qualifying height of 1.87 m, Valberg managed to clear it only at his third and final jump.^[9]

Unfortunately, Valberg was not able to repeat his stellar performance at the final of the high-jump event, during which he only managed to clear 1.80 m.^[10] It has to be noted that there are  discrepancies over the figures reported and his allocated position in the final.^[11] The local press had given his position as “eighth”.^[12] On the other hand, the official games report from 1948 indicated his position as “equal 14th”.^[13]

After the Olympic Games, Valberg did not immediately return to Singapore. Instead, he travelled to Scotland to take part in an athletic meet, where he took fourth place in both the high-jump and hurdles events.^[14] Valberg, who worked as a fireman in Singapore, then attended a four-week training course with the London Fire Brigade.^[15]

Valberg returned to Singapore on 27 October 1948.^[16]

References
1. Hall, J. (1948, July 26). XIV Olympiad. The Singapore Free Press, p. 2; King to open Olympics. (1948, July 27). The Straits Times, p. 12. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
2. King opens Olympic Games today. (1948, July 29). The Singapore Free Press, p. 8; Lone marcher circles arena. (1948, August 3). The Straits Times, p. 4; King, L. (1983, May 15). Goodness gracious, great Lloyd of fire. The Straits Times, p. 30. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
3. The Straits Times, 15 May 1983, p. 30; Singapore National Olympic Council. (2015). Lloyd Valberg. Retrieved March 28, 2015, from Singapore National Olympic Council website: http://www.singaporeolympics.com/athletes/athletes-v-to-z/lloyd-valberg/
4. Aplin, N., Waters, D., & Leong, M. L. (2005). Singapore Olympians: The complete who’s who, 1936–2004 (p. 57). Singapore: SNP Reference. Call no.: RSING 796.09225957 APL.
5. The Straits Times, 15 May 1983, p. 30; Singapore National Olympic Council, 2015, Lloyd Valberg.
6. Aplin, Waters & Leong, 2005, p. 53.
7. The Straits Times, 15 May 1983, p. 30.
8. Valberg qualifies. (1948, July 31). The Straits Times, p. 1. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
9. The Straits Times, 31 Jul 1948, p. 1.
10. Aplin, Waters & Leong, 2005, p. 58.
11. Aplin, Waters & Leong, 2005, p. 59; The Straits Times, 15 May 1983, p. 30; Robert, G. (1997, March 29). Farewell Valberg, a man of many talents. The Straits Times, p. 36. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
12. Aplin, Waters & Leong, 2005, p. 59; The Straits Times, 15 May 1983, p. 30; The Straits Times, 29 Mar 1997, p. 36; Valberg to undergo course. (1948, August 17). The Singapore Free Press, p. 7; We must send a team – Valberg. (1948, October 28). The Straits Times, p. 12. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
13. Aplin, Waters & Leong, 2005, p. 59.
14. The Straits Times, 28 Oct 1948, p. 12.
15. The Singapore Free Press, 17 Aug 1948, p. 7.
16. The Straits Times, 28 Oct 1948, p. 12.