Third of a series

IN the Olympic Games in 2016, there were nine countries that won the gold medal for the first time. That list included Southeast Asian neighbors Vietnam and Singapore.

The Philippines fell short of winning its first Olympic gold as weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz settled for silver.Singapore has a population of less than 6 million, a far cry from the over 100 million people in the Philippines. The Singaporeans, however, were able to produce Joseph Schooling, who became the best in the world in the 100-meter butterfly event at the Rio Games.