SEA Games 31: Singaporean runner aims for four medals on the track

Singapore (VNA) – Goh Chui Ling is aiming for four medals at the upcoming SEA Games in Hanoi, where she will compete in the 800m (May 16), 1,500m (May 14), 5,000m (May 14) and 10,000m (May 18) races.

Even though she has yet to win a medal after attending four SEA Games, Goh Chui Ling is confident that she stands a good chance of achieving her goal.

The 29-year-old runner told The Straits Times: "Because of the SEA Games postponement, I've had a longer general preparation phase so my base is a lot stronger just by virtue of the fact that I had more time for aerobic training.

"I'm definitely on track (to do well at the SEA Games). I'm fit at the right time and the lead-up has been great. If I do (compete in an event), it's because I'm confident it will come with a medal. I'm just afraid of possibly overdoing it and missing out on certain medal chances."

Goh is also gunning for the national record in at least three events. She broke the 10,000m (road) national best twice in two months last year and last month set another national best in the 5,000m (road).

While her national bests were set on the road, she is confident her times on the track will be quicker due to the more consistent surface, with no hills or changing wind conditions.

However, Goh, currently based in Zurich for her PhD exchange programme, acknowledged that her national bests were set in Europe's cooler climate and that the humid conditions in Hanoi might prove challenging.

She added that she is going to Singapore a week before her race so that should be sufficient time to acclimatise.
Goh said she is excited to be competing in a major Games again, and she is also looking forward to meeting athletes from other countries again.

"That's one of the privileges of being able to represent your country, you get to meet people from so many different cultures," she was quoted by the newspaper as saying. "It would also be nice to catch up with fellow Singapore athletes, not just from athletics. There are a lot of promising athletes coming up so it would be nice to get to know them,” she said./.