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Former S'pore runner Renuka Satianathan, who ran in 2011 & 2015 SEA Games, dies at 37
She was described by friends to be a bubbly, sweet, and caring person who always had a smile on her face.
March 17, 2025, 01:33 PM
Former national runner Renuka Satianathan, who represented Singapore in the 2011 and 2015 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, passed away on Mar. 12.
The 37-year-old was also a general paper teacher at both Yishun Innova Junior College and Eunoia Junior College.
According to Eunoia's website, Renuka was also listed as one of the teachers-in-charge of track and field.
A sweet, compassionate woman who always had a smile on her face
Messages are pouring in on social media to commemorate her loss and offer condolences to her loved ones.
Former national runner Muhammad Shah Feroz took to Instagram to share old photos of them.
Describing Renuka as bubbly, sweet, and caring, Shah said there was never a dull moment with her.
"We may not have done hard sessions together, but we stood on the same track, raced in the same meets, and shared those small, everyday moments that now feel so big in your absence," he remarked, adding: "I still can’t accept that I just sent you on your final journey. Gone too soon but never forgotten. Rest well, my friend."
Another fellow runner and friend said he was "deeply saddened" to learn of Renuka's passing, having run many local races with her.
Remembering a race held in Tampines estate many years back, the friend said that though Renuka had won first place, she gracefully gave her position to the second-place runner after learning they had taken the wrong route and run an additional distance.
"She has always been an inspiration to me during the local races," he said.
Chief Coordinator of the Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO) Youth Wing Shukul Raaj Kumar took to Facebook to mourn the loss, saying that the 37-year-old was more than an educator but a guiding force of intellect and warmth.
Shukul, who was taught the General Paper (GP) at Yishun Innova Junior College by Renuka, said she shaped the way her students thought, wrote, and engaged with the world.
"Beneath her tough exterior was a compassionate heart that saw something greater in us, even when we didn’t see it in ourselves," he said.
Reminiscing on his GP classes, Shukul said, "I can never fully repay the care, kindness, and wisdom she so generously shared, but I will spend my life honouring her memory—by embodying the values she instilled in me and passing on her guidance however I can."
"Ms Renuka was a torchbearer and a trailblazer. She illuminated the paths of so many, not just through her words but through her actions. She showed us what success looked like—not just as an outcome, but as a way of being," he said.
An athlete and teacher who excelled in both fields
Renuka's athletic journey started as a child.
A teen who was once part of the Trim and Fit (TAF) programme, which aimed to tackle obesity in Singapore schools between 1992 and 2007, Renuka soon grew to become a runner and trained under coach Steven Quek at then-Raffles Junior College, said Singapore Athletics.
Renuka pursued her undergraduate and postgraduate studies in Applied Linguistics in Australia after winning a Ministry of Education Scholarship.
She competed at the 2011 SEA Games.
She then began her teaching career in Singapore and was nominated for an award recognising outstanding teacher-coaches in 2014, wrote community page Death Kopitiam Singapore on Facebook.
Renuka's wake was held at Everton Park on Mar. 14, and she was cremated two days later at Mandai Crematorium.
Top image via Singapore Athletics/Facebook and Mileage
