By Les Tan

Singapore Women's Everest Team

The Singapore Women’s Everest Team (from left to right): Joanne Soo, Esther Tan, Lee Li Hui, Jane Lee, Sim Yi Hui, Lee Peh Gee. (Photo courtesy of Singapore Women’s Everest Team)

Mt Everest, Wednesday May 20, 2009 – Lee Li Hui, 27, Esther Tan, 26, and Jane Lee, 25, made history when they became the first Singaporean women to summit Mt Everest.

Li Hui hit the summit at 3.45am, followed by Esther at 3.54am and Jane at 4.43am.

Mt Everest is the highest peak on earth at 8850m.

The second summit team are currently on the way from camp 2 to camp 3 and they plan to go for the summit on Friday, May 22nd.

The second team consists of Joanne Soo and Lee Peh Gee. The third member Sim Yihui experienced chest pains at the Khumbu Ice Fall and had to turn back. She is well and back at base camp.

For weeks, the AWARE saga saw two groups of women fighting each other in an ugly public spat, overshadowing the efforts of the women as they made their way up Mt Everest.

There is now a group of women everyone can support. For sports fans, doing is better than talking. Maybe they should run AWARE.

Congratulations to the girls. You’ve done the nation proud.