SINGAPORE: It was lucky number four for runner Soh Rui Yong at the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon on Sunday (Dec 3). The 32-year-old Soh ran the race with a time of 02:40:34, finishing first among Singaporeans in the men’s category and walking home with a S$10,000 cheque.
Overall, Kenya’s David Barmasai Tumo finished first, with a time of 2:14:15 and the S$40,000 prize. His compatriot, Rose Chelimo, was the fastest woman, also taking home S$40,000. Chelimo, who now runs for Bahrain, ran the race in 2:37:19. The national winner for females is Rachel See, whose time was 3:05:51. She had previously won the event in 2014, 2017, and 2018.
Over 44,000 people joined the three-day event from Dec 1 to 3. It’s the first time since 2019 that a full Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon has been held, as the Covid-19 pandemic has interrupted the event for three years.
Soh previously won for three years straight from 2017 to 2019 and told The Straits Times, “It is a nice feeling (to be national champion) again. It has not happened in four years and I have not run a marathon in two years, so to make a comeback to the marathon in Singapore is very nice. I‘m still not back in my full marathon shape yet. But there is some time for that before the next SEA Games.”
He is the first Singaporean male marathoner to win back-to-back SEA Games and holds the national records for the 5,000m (track & road), 10,000m (track & road), half marathon, and marathon.
Before the race began, the recently married Soh posted a photo of his Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon shirt and race bib. He wrote, “Looking forward to running with and encouraging my fellow Singaporeans for as long as possible. Big shout to IRONMAN Asia & Singapore Athletics for bringing the marathon national championships back again, in the post-COVID 19 era!”
Soh ended up bumping into former Workers’ Party NCMP Yee Jenn Jong. Mr Yee was out with the WP team visiting Hainan Village Market and Marine Parade Central Market on Sunday
In a Facebook post, Mr Yee wrote, “Someone alerted me that a man was carrying the $10,000 winner cheque for the Stanchart marathon at the raman shop in Marine Parade. I told myself, who else but Soh Rui Yong（苏睿勇）, so i went over. Indeed it was. Good to catch him up again on his short trip back from the UK.”
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/TISG