SINGAPORE - Middle-distance runner Lui Yuan Chow set a new Under-20 national record in the men's 5,000m event at the Victorian 5,000m Championships in Melbourne on Thursday (Nov 23).

The 18-year-old clocked 15min 18.89sec at the Lakeside Stadium to erase the old national U-20 mark of 15:19.0, set by Mirza Namazie in 1967.

The record is pending ratification by Singapore Athletics.

Lui, whose timing earned him second place in the 'C' race at Albert Park, told The Straits Times: "I'm very humbled to have broken this record and I think it's pretty awesome that I've done this, that's about it really.

"I was just trying to stay up in front and work with the boys in the front to try and get a good time, I was lucky to have people set up a good pace in the front and stay true to that pace."

He last year rewrote his own national Under-18 mark in the men's 1,500m. The teenager also holds the national U-20 record for the same event, as well as the national U-18 men's 3,000m mark.

Lui added: "To have recognition for running these times really keeps me motivated to try to do better.

"There are times when I'm not having a good race or something doesn't go right, I always just reflect on these results and tell myself this is something I can do, and to just keep training hard to try and keep improving."