Soh Rui Yong reminisces first SEA Games gold medal win, captured by Tan Chuan-Jin

SINGAPORE —  Singapore’s multiple national record holder, Soh Rui Yong, recently reflected on his first gold medal win at the SEA Games. The medal was presented by Tan Chuan-Jin, the former Speaker of Parliament and immediate past president of the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC), with which Soh had a complicated relationship, filled with moments of admiration and frustration.

“I won my first SEA Games gold medal 8 years ago in June 2015, on home soil, at Singapore’s Kallang Practice Track. My medal was presented to me by Tan Chuan Jin, President of the Singapore National Olympic Council,” posted Soh on his Facebook page.

Soh emerged as the winner of the marathon event in 2015 with an impressive time of 2:34:56, surpassing Thailand’s Boonthung Srisung (2:35:09) and Hoang Nguyen Thanh from Vietnam (2:37:10). Additionally, Soh mentioned that the iconic photo of him crossing the finishing line was taken by the former Speaker of Parliament.

“…thanks to his camera competence. He will forever be linked to my first SEA Games experience through memory and photos. I have always held hope that we would reconcile our differences before the end of either of our time in sports or office,” expressed Soh who went on to defend the marathon title in the 2017 SEA Games.

After a five-year absence, Soh finally got to represent the nation at the Sea Games again in 2023. Although he didn’t secure a podium finish in the 5,000m event, he won a silver medal in the 10,000m race, setting a new national record of 31:10.70s.

Unfortunately, when everything seemed well for Soh, he lost his appeal to be selected for the upcoming Asian Games in September. This decision came after SNOC claimed that he had made disparaging and derisive remarks about others in the public domain.

Former Speaker Tan resigned from his post on July 17 due to an inappropriate relationship with fellow PAP Member of Parliament from Tampines GRC, Cheng Li Hui. Following this announcement, Soh decided to be cheeky and posted a letter on Facebook expressing his interest in the vacancy for the Speaker of Parliament role. But he later retracted the post as he felt it was inappropriate to make light of the situation.

“A letter written by someone else was posted on here. I have taken it down and recognise I should have exercised better judgment before republishing it given the circumstances. Apologies! To clarify I’m not applying for the Speaker of Parliament job now or anytime soon and in any case this wouldn’t be the right forum to do so,” shared the national marathon record holder.