Marathon champ lends a hand

National marathoner Soh Rui Yong (second from right) with local student-athletes (from left) Muzhaffar Shah of Republic Polytechnic, Lin Jing Chao of River Valley High School and Dora Shoo of Bendemeer Secondary at the Asics store at Suntec City yest
PHOTO COURTESY OF SOH RUI YONG

National marathoner Soh Rui Yong (second from right) with local student-athletes (from left) Muzhaffar Shah of Republic Polytechnic, Lin Jing Chao of River Valley High School and Dora Shoo of Bendemeer Secondary at the Asics store at Suntec City yesterday.

The reigning SEA Games marathon champion purchased a pair of new shoes for each of the three ahead of the upcoming Chinese New Year to encourage them in their track and field pursuits.

Soh, 25, began his appeal for needy and deserving student-athletes through Facebook and Instagram over last weekend.

He said: "I've benefited a lot from the sport.

My New Year resolution was to take a step back from my own solo pursuit for excellence and do what I could to help less privileged athletes have the means to pursue their passion and achieve their potential."

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on January 27, 2017, with the headline Marathon champ lends a hand. Subscribe