A rivalry with S’pore the winner

SINGAPORE — Even though they will be competing to get their hands on the men’s marathon gold medal at this June’s SEA Games, good friends Ashley Liew and Soh Rui Yong believe their rivalry over the 42.195km race will put hosts Singapore in a strong position to ensure that the event’s gold medal stays in Singaporean hands.

Today (March 31), Liew clinched the second and final berth to represent Singapore in the men’s marathon at the SEA Games.

The 28-year-old had clocked a personal best time of 2hrs 32mins 12secs at the New Orleans Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in January, which was just off the SEA Games qualifying mark of 2:30.30. He then endured a nervous wait to see if anyone else bettered his timing — which was second only to Soh’s 2:26.01 at the California International Marathon last December — before the qualifying window closed today.

But after defending SEA Games champion Mok Ying Ren pulled out with injury, and Lim Thow Wee and Derek Li failed to better the two fastest times at the Seoul International Marathon on March 15, Liew knew he would join Soh as one of Singapore’s representatives for the marathon at the SEA Games.

Singapore Athletic Association (SAA) general manager Yazeen Buhari told TODAY the SAA has nominated Soh, 23, and Liew for the men’s marathon event to the Singapore National Olympic Council for final approval this month.

Speaking to TODAY, Liew and Soh now aim to succeed Mok and become the second Singaporean to win the event at the SEA Games.

“The marathon is a long race and anything can happen. But the most important thing is that Rui Yong and I will be in a strong position to strike,” said Liew.

Soh, who will take part in the 5,000m Oregon Relays on April 17 and Eugene Half-Marathon on May 10, said: “I don’t feel (any) added pressure (with Mok ruled out of the Games due to injury) ... Only one person gets the gold and I’m confident I will be in the best possible shape to challenge for the gold.”

Mok, who won the 2013 SEA Games marathon with a time of 2:28.35, had withdrawn last month after injuries had curtailed his preparations and form.

Liew, who underwent a three-week training stint at the famed High Altitude Training Centre in Kenya last December, said that an injury also nearly scuppered his hopes, after he suffered an acute joint displacement in his right toe three days before the New Orleans Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon on Jan 25 and contemplated pulling out. Despite the pain, Liew held out to post the second-best time by a Singaporean during the qualifying window.

“In New Orleans, I told myself not to have any excuses,” he said. “I pressed on and often glanced at my wrist bracelet from Kenya with the word “strong” on it and repeated my mantra more than ever.”

Liew has taken a term off his studies at Sherman College of Chiropratic in South Carolina to train for the June 7 marathon at the SEA Games. He will return to Kenya’s High Altitude Training Centre next week.

Liew and 23-year-old Soh are hopeful of bringing back the men’s marathon gold for Singapore again at this year’s SEA Games. Soh, who is based in Oregon, believes “something dramatic” may happen at this year’s SEA Games marathon.

“Ashley and I have been through many tough races and situations together, and it seems that whenever we race, something dramatic happens,” he said. “In 2011, we finished second and third behind Mok at the Army Half Marathon, but we were registered under the wrong category by the organisers, so we did not get our cash prizes. In 2012, we were racing for the lead in the same race, but Ashley fell at 8km (mark) and when caught in a dilemma, I decided to stop and help.”

Liew said they would “work together and feed off each other’s energy to our combined advantage”, and it would not matter who finishes ahead of the other come race day, but more importantly, for the pair to do Singapore proud.

Said Liew: “Besides dedicating my race to my late mother ... I’m also grateful for the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew’s lifelong effort at nation-building, which was self-described as a ‘marathon with no finish line’.”