Singapore's top marathoner Mok Ying Ren's dream of competing at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro was handed a $30,000 boost on Friday evening.
The 25-year-old was awarded the special award from his alma mater the National University of Singapore, from which he graduated last May with a degree in medicine.
A triathlon gold medallist at the 2007 SEA Games, Mok went public with his Olympic dream last year in a bid to raise the $100,000 required to fund his three-year, full-time training plan.
With the NUS award, he has now collected approximately $60,000.
The money will go toward supporting his training and participation in overseas races, with stints in Japan and Kenya already planned.