Mok makes history with SEA Games marathon win

NAYPYIDAW — Mok Ying Ren made Singapore sporting history in Myanmar today (Dec 16) by winning the men's marathon.

The 25-year-old medical officer won the South-east Asian Games men's marathon gold this morning in a time of 2hr 28min 36sec. It is the first time Singapore has ever won the men's marathon at the regional biennial Games. K Jayamani had won the women's marathon at the 1983 SEA Games hosted in Singapore.

Up against a nine-man field, the winner of the 2013 Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore ran a tactical race from start to finish before finally powering past Myanmar's Thaung Aye and Eric Panique of the Philippines to clinch the gold. Thaung Aye eventually finished second in 2:29:50, while Panique was third in 2:30:30.

While he was not able to break Singapore's national best performance of 2:24:22 set by M Rameshon in 1995, Mok was delighted to earn his spot in the history books.

"That's great that this is Singapore's first men's marathon ... I didn't expect to win and I'm really happy," said the marathoner, who had only arrived in Naypyidaw yesterday as he is undergoing a medical officer course in National Service.

"My strategy was not to go for timing, but position, and I think it paid off today."

This is also Mok's second SEA Games gold. He won the men's triathlon at the 2007 SEA Games.