Singapore runner Shaun Goh pipped to gold by 0.008sec, but breaks national 2.4km record

SINGAPORE – Despite being hit by the “lactic sniper”, Singapore middle-distance runner Shaun Goh still managed to break the men’s 2.4km national record on Aug 15, even as he lost out on the gold in a photo finish at the Pocari Sweat Run 2.4km National Championships.

Both Goh and Nepal’s Subas Gurung were credited with a time of 6min 47.01sec, but the fully automatic timing system at the Home of Athletics showed Gurung crossing in 6:47.002 – just 0.008sec ahead of Goh – handing him the men’s elite 2.4km title. Another Singaporean, Pranav Shreedhar, was third in 6:58.33.

Goh’s result eclipsed the previous national record of 6:50.31, set by Jeevaneesh Soundararajah in 2022.

While missing out on the gold by mere milliseconds “stings a bit”, the 29-year-old said: “I’m very happy with my race tonight, I felt like I executed the race well and was honestly feeling a lot better than expected by the fourth lap.

“I made a big move with 600m to go, which in hindsight might have been a tad early, because by the final 100m, the lactic sniper definitely got me.

“The big goal coming into this race was to break the national record, so I’m really glad I managed to get that done.”

Lactic sniper is a commonly used term among runners for the sudden, overwhelming wave of muscle fatigue that hits them near the end of a race.

Gurung, also 29, had entered the race with a seed time of 6:55.00 against Goh’s 6:50.00, but he produced a personal-best effort to snatch the win by a whisker.

“It was really fun finally getting to race alongside Subas,” added Goh.

“We haven’t really had the chance to race each other since we’ve both been competing at this level, and wow, what a finish.

“I didn’t even know who had won until about 10 minutes after the race. It definitely stings a bit not to get the win, but there’s no better athlete to lose to than Subas.”

Goh, who became a full-time athlete after signing a two-year contract with sports management company Betterment Sports in February, has also broken other national records recently.

He bettered his own 10km road mark with a 30:41 effort in July, a month after setting the mile road record (4:18.60).

He will next compete in the 5km race at the World Athletics Road Running Championships in Copenhagen on Sept 19.

In the women’s elite 2.4km race, Vanessa Lee won gold in 7:54.54, ahead of Clara Chua (8:04.04) and Nicole Low (8:11.93).

A Singapore Athletics spokesperson said the association was pleased with the overall standard of racing at the meet.

“The strong competition across the youth and elite races shows the growing depth of distance running in Singapore,” the spokesperson added.

“Of course, we’re super stoked to see Shaun Goh set a new national record and Vanessa Lee win the elite women’s race.”