EVERY time a Malaysian shuttler leapt high to land a blow, the rakyat, from cities to towns and kampung, screamed "Smash!"
On May 16, 1992, Malaysia found itself in the grip of Thomas Cup fever as the national badminton team battled Indonesia on a sweltering night at Stadium Negara.
The country came to a virtual standstill, with many streets empty as even people without television gathered at neighbours' or friends' houses or public places to watch the Thomas Cup final.
Stadium Negara, built in 1962, had never seen anything like this as the iconic venue became an emotion-charged, tension-filled cauldron.
The 10,000-capacity stadium was bursting at the seams after 12,000 fans crammed into it, taking up every seat, every possible standing space and every inch of the ground meant for walking.
They sensed something momentous was going to happen, that this was a "Hari ini dalam sejarah" night, that the long wait for the Thomas Cup, which had eluded Malaysia for 25 years, was about to end.
Malaysia's stunning 3-2 triumph over mighty China in the semi-final had fired up the fans, filling them with newfound hope and great expectations.
In retrospect, not much was expected of the Malaysian team before the tournament started.
Unexpectedly, as it progressed, the Malaysian team grew stronger, living up to the adage "When the going gets tough, the tough get going".
Malaysia even bounced back from a surprise 3-2 loss to South Korea in the preliminary round to finish second in its group and qualified for the semi-final after beating Denmark 5-0 and England 4-1.
Pitted against China in the semi-final, Malaysia seemingly faced an insurmountable task against the badminton dragons. But never rattled were Rashid Sidek and his men as they turned their racquets into sledgehammers to knock down the Great Wall 3-2.
Rashid, playing first singles, paved the way, pulling off a "one for the ages" performance, a 18-14, 10-15, 15-12 conquest of Zhao Jian Hua, a player said to possess even more "natural talent" than Lin Dan, regarded as China's greatest player of all-time.
Next, Rashid's elder brothers, Razif and Jalani toppled Tian Bingyi and Li Yongbo (who were to become two-time world champions) 5-15, 15-10, 15-5.
Then Cheah Soon Kit and Soo Beng Kiang delivered the killer blow that knocked China out of the competition, when they floored Zheng Yumen and Huang Zhenzhong 15-9, 18-14 in the second doubles.
In the final, Malaysia had to wear the underdog's tag again as Indonesia was looking invincible with its much touted "magnificent seven" as all their three singles and two doubles occupied the world's top five rankings. And Indonesia looked scary, having crushed South Korea 5-0 in the semi-final.
Indonesia's world No. 1 Ardy Wiranata and Alan Budi Kusuma, who later became Olympic champion, looked magnificent enough. And World Cup winner Joko Suprianto looked super at third singles.
But the Malaysian players were in no mood to be intimidated, not when they had dethroned China, the defending champion.
Roared on by the home crowd, they fought like men possessed. The cheers were so deafening that you could not hear the person next to you at the stadium even if he was shouting into your ears.
Rah! Rah! Rashid! He gave Malaysia a flying start by overpowering Ardy 15-11, 10-15, 15-4. But Indonesia swiftly levelled the tie through Eddy Hartono and Gunawan, who beat Razif and Jalani 15-9, 9-15, 15-3 in the first doubles.
Then Foo Kok Keong put Malaysia ahead again by pulling off a rousing 15-6, 15-12 win over Alan in the second singles. While Rashid possessed a rapier-like attacking game, the defensive Kok Keong was quite the opposite.
A former school goalkeeper, Kok Keong kept the crowd on the edge of their seats, drawing oohs and ahhs as he dived all over the court to save shots from impossible positions.
Next, in a titanic battle, Soon Kit and Beng Kiang sent the stadium and the whole of Malaysia into raptures when they carved out a 15-2, 10-15, 15-8 win over Ricky Subagja and Rexy Mainaky in the second doubles.
Malaysia was already celebrating just after midnight when the last tie of the Thomas Cup final was reduced to an academic one with Kwan Yoke Meng losing 3-15, 7-15 to Joko. And the next morning, Malaysians from all walks of life woke up, walking tall and feeling like world champs.
Apart from the heroic seven on the court, Malaysia's successful Thomas Cup campaign was also forged on the management and tactical savviness of the late Tan Sri Elyas Omar (who was Badminton Association of Malaysia president then), team manager Datuk Punch Gunalan and Chinese coaches Han Jian, Yang Yang and Chen Chengjie.