Sandra Yeow is first female winner of Subaru Challenge
By Margaret Perry, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 06 November 2007 2130 hrs

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SINGAPORE : For the first time, a woman has won the MediaCorp Radio Subaru Impreza Challenge.

Sandra Yeow was declared the ultimate winner on Tuesday after she kept her hand on the car for 77 hours and 13 minutes.

That is a new record for the event.

It is also over an hour longer than the male winner, Kevin Lee.

Abdul Hamid Jonid thought he had won the men's challenge 73 hours and 55 minutes after the contest had started.

But his joy was short-lived.

Dahlia Z, Assistant Vice-President, English Programming, MediaCorp Radio, said, "The last two...usually it's pretty crucial and contestants are irrational, they have not had that much sleep and one of the contestants had clenched his fist so he was disqualified, but he thought he had won so he lifted up his hands in glee."

But Mr Hamid's family couldn't be more proud of him, for remaining as the final two.

The last man standing, though, was 30-year-old Kevin Lee.

He won the Subaru Impreza.

But he was aiming for the fancier car - the MI Rally Team version.

He faced stiff competition from the remaining women.

The previous record of 74 hours and 59 minutes was set by the 2004 winner Ian Lee.

That was broken at 4pm when there were still three women and one man left in the competition.

After 76 hours, Kevin Lee threw in the towel to claim his car, leaving the three women to battle it out.

He said the worst moment came at the 42nd hour.

He said, "In fact I cried, I cried and cried but after that, I pulled out from that...I went to the lowest bottom out then managed to bounce back."

Finally, after 77 hours and 13 minutes, the ultimate winner was declared - 25-year-old Sandra Yeow.

This was Sandra's third attempt at the challenge.

After spending four days and three nights outdoors, she has just one thing on her mind.

She said, "To go home and bathe because houseflies seem to like me a lot right now, so I guess I need to go home and change and bathe and be clean again."

But her fiance Joey Tan is not complaining; that is because she has won them a car for their wedding next year. - CNA/ms