SEA Games 2025: Soh Rui Yong medically cleared to compete in 10,000m

BANGKOK – National distance runner Soh Rui Yong has received medical clearance to participate in the 2025 SEA Games, Singapore Athletics (SA) confirmed on Dec 8.

In response to queries from The Straits Times, a spokesperson for SA said: “Following an irregular finding during his routine pre-Games screening last week, Soh was referred for a specialist cardiology assessment. The specialist conducted a full evaluation and concluded that Soh is fit to compete, with no cardiac concerns that would prevent him from racing.”

Soh, 34, who completed

a unique double by winning the national half-marathon and marathon titles at the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon

on Dec 6 and 7, will now be able to travel to Bangkok for the Games. The two-time men’s marathon champion, who won a silver in the 10,000m in the 2023 edition, is aiming for a podium finish in the same event on Dec 16.

On Dec 4,

his participation in the Games had appeared in doubt

after his electrocardiogram (ECG) – a test to track one’s heart activity – showed “abnormal” results during a routine pre-Games medical screening.

The matter was then referred to Sport Singapore’s (SportSG) High Performance Sport Institute and Soh underwent a follow-up check-up on Dec 5.

SportSG noted in a statement on Dec 4 that all Singapore athletes undergo “comprehensive medical assessments” as part of its protocol for all major Games.

The latest development is a boost for Soh, who confirmed with ST that he will compete only in the 10,000m, despite qualifying for two other events, including the men’s marathon. On Nov 29, he clocked 30min 33.29sec at the Nittaidai Challenge Games in Tokyo to eclipse the previous 10,000m national record of 31:02.40 set by Shaun Goh in August.

Soh told ST on Dec 8: “I’ve been running for so many years, so I knew I was okay. I think in the back of my head, I knew I would get to compete, but I just didn’t know whether it’ll be a Tuesday (Dec 9) flight as originally planned or later in the week. But I knew that it will eventually get sorted out.”

Now the focus is fully on the Games for Soh.

He said: “I hadn’t really thought about the SEA Games until the full marathon was over. I had a very exciting weekend of racing, I could not think of any more exciting way to get ready for the SEA Games. But now that all that is put aside, step one, it’s to pack my bags and find my Team Singapore attire that I can bring, and then we go from there.”

“I also want to say a big ‘thank you’ to SA for being extremely responsive and helpful despite the last-minute administrative challenge in terms of being cleared for the Games,” he added.