S'pore runner Thiruben breaks 38-year-old 800m national record

National runner Thiruben s/o Thana Rajan has broken the 800m athletics national record, which had been previously held for 38 years.

Thiruben, 24, clocked a timing of 1 minute 49:94 seconds during the heats of the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea on May 30.

He came in 6th in his heat.

This timing was a new personal best for Thiruben, shaving off more than one second from a 1 min 51:28 sec timing set at the Singapore Sports Hub on Apr. 28.

Thiruben's timing beat the previous 800m national record of 1 min 50:56 sec (electronic timing) set by Sinnathambi Pandian in 1987.

Surendra Subramani holds the record for the fastest hand-timed 800m in Singapore with 1 min 49:9 sec.

More about Thiruben

Thiruben is one of the pioneer batch of spexPotential athletes unveiled in April 2024, according to The Straits Times.

A former cross country runner, Thiruben currently holds the national U-18 Record for the 400m and the national schools record for the 800m. ⁠

According to Thiruben's Instagram, he has spent most of his athletics career as a 400m runner, but made the switch back to the 800m in 2024.

He has also been chasing the 800m national record for some time.

Top image from Thiruben’s Instagram & Asian Athletics Championships Gumi 2025 4일차 LIVE/YouTube