50-year-old man dies after collapsing during Singapore Athletics' 5km walk event

SINGAPORE - A 50-year-old man has died after he collapsed during a 5,000m walk event at Singapore Athletics' (SA) All Comers Meet 2 on Saturday morning (March 19).

The Straits Times understands he dropped to the ground within the first kilometre of his event, which began at 8am.

First aiders from the medical providers stationed at the Home of Athletics in Kallang rushed to the man's aid, before ambulance and paramedics arrived shortly after. They sent the man to Tan Tock Seng Hospital, where he died.

According to the All-Comers event start list, there were four participants, three 18-year-olds and a 50-year-old named Lim Boon Huat, scheduled for the 5,000m walk.

One eyewitness, an athlete who was preparing for an individual event, told ST: "The other athletes and I noticed a commotion and saw the medics running to where he was on the track.

"But we were focusing on our own event so we did not exactly see what happened after... and we also haven't heard what happened to him after they took him away in the ambulance."

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National track and field body SA said it and the athletics community are "deeply saddened" by the incident and "will be doing our best to assist the family during this difficult time".

It added: "We offer our condolences to the family and we seek everyone's understanding to give the family sufficient space and privacy during this period.

"The athlete was attended to immediately by on-site medics trained in the use of CPR and AED, with an SCDF ambulance arriving soon after, which conveyed him to hospital.

"SA takes the well-being of our athletes and officials seriously, and will continue to review our procedures to ensure their safety."

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.