Singapore runner Soh Rui Yong added to his accolades as he took part in the Valencia Half-Marathon in Spain.
In one race, he broke two national records. He beat his previous half-marathon record by one second and set the new 10km Road National Record by a comfy margin.
Soh said on Facebook that he channelled his frustration at not being picked for the Asian Games into his performance.
The newlywed marathoner left for his Swiss training camp for this race just three days after the marriage.
Soh Rui Yong crossed the finish line at the Valencia Half-Marathon in the 60th place, out of a whopping 17,359 competitors.
Source: Soh Rui Yong on Facebook
According to Singapore Athletics, the marathoner clocked in at 1hr 6min 45 sec (1:06:45), breaking Singapore’s national half-marathon record. The 32-year-old overcame the previous record, also set by him, of 1:06:46 in 2019 by one second.
En route to completing the 21.1km long race, Soh passed the 10km mark with a time of 31:39. This comfortably broke the previous 10km Road National Record of 32:10 co-held by Mok Ying Ren in 2014 and Jeevaneesh Soundararajah in 2022.
Source: Soh Rui Yong on Facebook
With this, he added a sixth national record to his impressive accolades, these being the 5000m, 10000m, Half-Marathon, Marathon, 5km Road, and now the 10km Road.
Fellow Singaporean Shaun Goh ended the half-marathon in 117th place with a respectable time of 1:09:35.
In a Facebook post, Soh recounted the annoyance of being passed over for the Asian Games team despite qualifying.
The Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) previously denied his nomination due to alleged behavioural issues.
Soh said he channelled his frustration positively into his training for the half-marathon.
“We can’t change what people want to do or say about us, but we can work hard and show them – we’re still the best.” Soh commented.
Just a month earlier, Soh married his wife on 12 Sep, an undeniably joyous occasion.
The newlywed runner did not let the joy numb his dedication. Just three days later, he flew to Saint Moritz in Switzerland for a training camp, according to the Straits Times.
He trained up and down the alpine slopes. Undeniably, the grind paid off given the subsequent results.
After the impressive performance, Soh locked his eyes on the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon on 3 Dec. We wish him the best in his future performance.
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Featured image adapted from Soh Rui Yong on Facebook and runsohfast on Instagram.
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