Marathoner Soh Rui Yong gets medically cleared for SEA Games

Marathoner Soh Rui Yong has been medically cleared to compete in the 2025 SEA Games following his previous abnormal pre-Games medical result that put his bid for a medal at risk. 

According to the Team Singapore website, the 34-year-old is listed to compete in the men's 5,000m finals on Saturday (Dec 13) and in the men's 10,000m finals on Tuesday (Dec 16) at the National Stadium in Bangkok. 

In response to media queries, a spokesperson for Singapore Athletics (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.” 

Previously, an abnormal finding surfaced during Soh's pre-Games medical screening which put him at risk of missing the Games. 

In spite of the news, Soh had continued to take part in the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon over the weekend, snagging the national champion title in both the half marathon and marathon on Dec 6 and Dec 7 respectively. 

Following news of his clearance, Soh said that he will only be competing in the 10,000m, despite qualifying for two other events, reported The Straits Times. 

Soh told The Straits Times: “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.” 

“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," he added.

He also thanked the SA team for their responsiveness and help despite the "last-minute administrative challenge in terms of being cleared for the Games". 

The 33rd SEA Games are set to take place from Dec 9 to 20 in Thailand, with Bangkok and Chonburi as host regions. 

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esther.lam@asiaone.com