Singapore's Soh Rui Yong finishes seventh in the SEA Games 10,000m final

BANGKOK: Singapore's Soh Rui Yong finished seventh in the men's 10,000m final on Tuesday (Dec 16) evening at Bangkok’s Suphachalasai Stadium.

Thailand's Kieran Tuntivate took gold with a time of 29:41.81, Philippines' Yacine Guermali silver (29:43.94) and Indonesia's reigning champion Rikki Marthin Luther Simbolon clocked 29:54.64 for the bronze.

This is Tuntivate's third gold of the Games after wins in the 1,500m and 5,000m.

Soh clocked 31:31.91, while compatriot Shaun Goh finished in eighth with a time of 31:45.26.

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Speaking to reporters after the race, Soh said that he was not disappointed to have missed out on retaining his silver medal, given that he had been "lucky" to clinch it at the Cambodia Games.

"The last race in Cambodia was 35 degrees (Celsius) and very hot," he said. "What happens when it's hot, when people go out fast ... the risk of blowing up is a lot higher. Playing conservative, you can catch people who blow up."

Soh added that the field of athletes in the event at this edition of the Games was stronger as well, with the likes of Guermali and Tuntivate who have clocked times in the 27-minute range.

34-year-old Soh last month set a new national record of 30:33.29 in the event. However, this was done in "ideal conditions" in Japan, he pointed out.

"I ran (that national record) in maybe seven or eight degrees (Celsius) ... and today was 32 degrees (Celsius) at the start," he added.

In 2023, Soh ended Singapore's 40-year wait for a Games medal with a silver in the 10,000m in Cambodia.

Earlier this month, a health scare appeared to put Soh's participation in the Games at risk after an irregularity was found in his electrocardiogram (ECG) result during pre-Games screening.

But the distance runner, who recently clinched a double win at the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon, was later cleared to compete in the Games.

Soh told CNA in August that competing at the Games would be "quite a cool full circle journey", having his Games debut at the 2015 edition in Singapore where he won the marathon.

"I had a really, really good experience at the SEA Games," said Soh on Tuesday. "I got to mentor some of the younger ones, not just from Singapore, but from the other countries as well."