SINGAPORE - Soh Rui Yong has made it back-to-back triumphs for Singapore in the men's marathon event at the SEA Games.
The 23-year-old crossed the line first in a time of 2hr34min56sec on Sunday morning to capture the gold medal at the Kallang Practice Track, now known at the Home of Athletics.
Thailand's Boonthung Sirsung (2:35.08) was second and Vietnam's Nguyen Thanh Hoang (2:37.09) took bronze
Soh revealed that he was 200m away from the finishing line when he noticed Sirsung, who had been leading from the start, stumble. "I waited a little bit, gave him a stare and then I was off," he said.
"I'm really happy to win the gold for Singapore today, everyone was out here to support me. I'm just one guy, but together we can achieve a lot more."
This was only Soh's second attempt at the marathon and comes after compatriot Mok Ying Ren was victorious in the 2013 edition in Myanmar.
This was also the Republic's first athletics gold medal at the ongoing 28th Games held in Singapore.
Additional reporting from Chuan Limin
