Singapore’s Soh Rui Yong finishes seventh in the SEA Games 10,000m final

34-year-old Soh last month set a new national record of 30:33.29 in the event.

In 2023, Soh ended Singapore’s 40-year wait for a Games medal with a silver in the 10,000m in Cambodia.

Earlier this month, a health scare appeared to put Soh’s participation in the Games at risk after an irregularity was found in his electrocardiogram (ECG) result during pre-Games screening.

But the distance runner, who recently clinched a double win at the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon, was later cleared to compete in the Games.

Soh told CNA in August that competing at the Games would be “quite a cool full circle journey”, having his Games debut at the 2015 edition in Singapore where he won the marathon.

“Bangkok is where my wife is from so it will be pretty cool to compete in front of my wife’s side of the family,” he then said. “My family should also go up, so it will be a nice little family reunion.”