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Marathon champion Soh has Rio Olympics in his sights

SINGAPORE — Less than two weeks after he conquered the region, Singapore marathon runner Soh Rui Yong now has his eyes set on becoming the first Singaporean to compete in the event at the Olympic Games.

Soh Rui Yong at the Singapore Athletics appreciation dinner yesterday. Photo. Ernest Chua

Soh Rui Yong at the Singapore Athletics appreciation dinner yesterday. Photo. Ernest Chua

SINGAPORE — Less than two weeks after he conquered the region, Singapore marathon runner Soh Rui Yong now has his eyes set on becoming the first Singaporean to compete in the event at the Olympic Games.

Soh had beaten Thailand’s Srisung Boonthung in a nail-biting sprint to the finish to claim gold in 2hr 34min 56sec.

But to qualify for next year’s Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, the Singaporean will need to meet the qualifying time of 2:17.

In a bid to improve his times, the 23-year-old, whose personal best time of 2:26.01 was set at last December’s California International Marathon, is now exploring the possibility of pursing his masters degree in Oregon while training with coach Ian Dobson in his bid for Olympic qualification.

Another option for him is to train full time for six months in the United States. With 2013 Games’ marathon champion Mok Ying Ren also training full-time in the US to qualify for Rio, both runners are aiming to become the first to represent Singapore in the event at the Olympics.

“If I wasn’t dreaming of it before, this SEA Games solidifies it and showed me that I can run against the best in South-east Asia. If people want Singapore to go on the world stage, I think I have that capability,” said Soh.

“Initially I thought of going full-time for about six months and training in Flagstaff, Arizona, but after talking to my former coach Steven Quek, it’s good to be able to invest in my studies while training.

“But that will depend my talks with Sport Singapore.”

Soh, whose win at the 28th SEA Games earlier this month was only his second competitive outing in the 42.195km marathon race, is currently an undergraduate at the University of Oregon on a Sport Singapore scholarship.

“I am aiming to qualify for the Olympics by May (next year),” he said. “If I hit the mark, this journey will see be breaking the national record so that will be exciting.

“I will need a bit of luck, and I have to stay injury free. The Olympics is the highest stage for athletes, and making it there will be super cool.”

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