2 new national records set by S'pore 10,000m runners on National Day

Two national records were broken by Singapore's runners on National Day in Queensland, Australia.

On Aug. 9, Shaun Goh and Vanessa Lee ran in the Queensland 10,000m Championship, placing fifth and first in their heats, respectively.

Breaking a 30-year-old record

The day started with Lee clocking a time of 36:15.67 in the Women's A race, crushing a 30-year-old national record of 36:27.39 set during 1995 SEA Games in Chiangmai, Thailand.

According to Singapore Athletics, this new national record makes Lee one of Singapore's greatest female distance runners, with six national records to her name.

She holds the fastest timing in Singapore for the track mile, 3,000m steeplechase, 5km road race, 5,000m, 10km road race and 10,000m.

This is also Lee's fourth national record of 2025, having set new records for the 5,000m in March, the 3,000m steeplechase in May and the 5km road race in July.

Next up

In the very next race, Goh clocked 31:02.40 at the Men's A race, beating the previous national record of 31:10.70 set by Soh Rui Yong at the 2023 SEA Games.

"I ran a crazy negative split today," said Goh to Singapore Athletics.

"I went into this race a bit more conservatively because in my last two attempts, I started at or faster than race pace and paid for it with poor second halves."

Goh added that he wants to compete for medals at the 2025 SEA Games in December, and the race in Queensland gave him the confidence to "stay with the front pack and contend".

Speaking of Lee, who also broke the national record, Goh shared that it felt amazing to be "achieving success" alongside Lee.

"We both came from the same universities and have been competing in the scene for the longest time.

It's comforting to know there's someone else facing the same mental hurdles, and it's far more rewarding to share accomplishments than to experience them alone."

Goh added that seeing Lee break the national record before his heat gave him the extra motivation to run his race.

Top photos via Pocari Sweat Singapore/Facebook