BREAKING: 50,000 in S'pore Marathon 2009. Getting Bigger And Better. WELL DONE SAA!!! <hr style="color: rgb(152, 152, 152); background-color: rgb(152, 152, 152);" size="1"> <!-- / icon and title --> <!-- message -->
Well done SAA.
More and more taking part EACH YEAR. This year more than 50,000 participants....wow!
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</td> <td colspan="2" valign="top" width="784"> Athletics: Luke Kibet bags his second Singapore Marathon title, sets new course record
By Saifaulbahri Ismail/Evelyn Choo, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 06 December 2009 1924 hrs
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Luke Kibet</td> </tr> <tr> <td>
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SINGAPORE: It was a clean sweep by the Kenyans at the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon on Sunday - with all top three runners finishing the race faster than last year's time.
Luke Kibet from Kenya had the number one tag, and he lived up to it by once again winning the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon in the men’s elite category - in a course record time.
The 26-year-old clocked 2 hours, 11 minutes, 24 seconds - almost two minutes faster than his winning time last year. He will take home US$35,000 in prize money.
"To win a race is not a joke, to run 42 kilometres, it is a tough race. I'm waiting for the race organisers if they can call me for next year. I will come here for the third time," said Kibet.
Kibet's double victory in Singapore matches his countryman Amos Matui's wins in 2005 and 2006.
Johnstone Chepkwony, who clocked 2 hours, 11 minutes, 32 seconds, and Vincent Krop, who clocked 2 hours, 11 minutes, 49 seconds, made it an all-Kenyan sweep of the men's elite category - all finishing faster than last year's winning time.
The women's elite category was won by Russia's Albina Mayorova Ivanova - in 2 hours, 32 minutes and 47 seconds. This is her second marathon after giving birth to her daughter.
In the Singapore Men's section, 23-year-old Mok Ying Ren won in his debut of the Marathon. The SEA Games triathlon gold-medallist clocked 2 hours, 43 minutes, 42 seconds.
The Singapore Women's section was won by Qi Hui in 3 hours, 15 minutes and 25 seconds.
Some 50,000 runners took part this year, and there are hints that next year's marathon will be bigger.
Oon Jin Teik, CEO, Singapore Sports Council said: "We definitely have more than 50,000 people asking to join in. So, we definitely have plans for next year for a bigger and better one.
"I think this requires a lot of in-depth planning, especially on the route and everything else. But the demand and enthusiasm from the athletes, I think, is where gives us a lot of hope."
- CNA/sc
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