Chelimo Luka Kipemoi Claims Top Stop At Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore 2013

01 DEC 2013

Chelimo Luka Kipemoi Claims Top Stop At Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore 2013

Sharon Cherop Wins Women’s Open By A Split Second

Singapore, 1 December 2013 - Kenyan long distance runners continued their racing dominance at the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore (SCMS), with Chelimo Luka Kipemoi and Sharon Cherop today claiming top honours in the Marathon Men’s and Women’s Open categories respectively.

Asia’s marquee running event flagged off at exactly 5.00am, under the dazzling Christmas lights lining the Orchard Road shopping belt. With five different categories, namely the Marathon, Half Marathon, Ekiden, 10km and Kids Dash (750m), this year’s event saw more than 54,000 taking to the streets in the wee hours of the morning from three different start points around the city nation.
With a timing of 02:14:59, Chelimo Luka Kipemoi ended with a spectacular finish in the Men’s Open category, narrowly achieving victory over nearest rivals and Kenyan compatriots Eluid Kiptanui, who clocked 02:15:25 and third-placed Mike Mutai, who came in at 02:15:40.
The humidity was certainly not an issue for Sharon Cherop who topped the Women’s Open category (02:41:11.04) with a split second victory over Ethiopia’s Debre Godana (02:41:11.71). Prokopeva Alina from Russia finished in third place with a timing of 02:41:15.
“Being my first win at the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore, I am extremely happy to have clinched this and will use my winnings to pay for my children’s education,” said Men’s Open champion Kipemoi.
Women’s Open victor, Cherop, commented: “The race was so close and I was breathing so hard towards the finishing, but I am so happy that my strategy to sprint only when I was close to the finish line worked, and (I) would like to say thank you to the race organisers for a very exciting race. I will be back next year.”
The winners in both the Men’s and Women’s Open categories each received US$50,000 in prize money.
Local runner Mok Ying Ren claimed the top spot in the Singapore Men’s category with a timing of 02:54:17, while Hui Qi took top spot among Singapore’s women with a winning time of 03:07:30.
Mok, who donated 25% of his US$10,000 prize money to SportCares, said, “It was a great run and I met my objectives of acclimatising to the heat in preparation for the SEA Games, plus I greatly enjoy supporting Singapore’s marquee Marathon.”
Acting Minister for the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, Mr Lawrence Wong, who flagged off the start of the Half Marathon commented, “The unique thing about the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore is that it’s a people’s event, with not just elite athletes running. It provides an opportunity for runners of all levels to take part with their family and friends, bringing everyone together to share the common joy of sports participation.”
Mr Wong also took part in the Ekiden with several young beneficiaries from SportCares, with the team completing the race with an impressive time of 03:48:24.
This year’s event once again saw a variety of participants taking to the streets, ranging from the very young, to the young-at-heart. Among these was 83-year-old Chan Meng Hui - the oldest participant in the Marathon category.
“Being 83 years old doesn’t stop me from participating in the SCMS, in fact this is one of the Marathons that allows me to participate and I am truly grateful,” said Mr Chan.
The Padang played host to thousands of participants and spectators throughout the morning and into the early afternoon, with a host of family activities keeping everyone entertained as all runners made their way to the finish point on Saint Andrew’s Rd.
“We are thrilled with today’s event and the general feedback thus far has been overwhelmingly positive. The weather gods also did us a favour and provided some more comfortable temperatures for runners,” said Mr Chris Robb, Managing Director, Spectrum Worldwide. After months of planning, it was fantastic to see all the hard work come to fruition and to witness the thousands of smiling faces as they crossed the finish line,” Robb added.

For media enquiries, please contact:

Munirah Razak
Fulford PR
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Abraham Christopher
Fulford PR
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Mob: 9127 3751
Email: achristopher@fulfordpr.com

About Singapore Sports Council
The Singapore Sports Council aims to transform the nation through sport, by inspiring people and uniting communities. As the national sports agency, we work with a vast network of public-private-and people sector partners to create access, opportunities and capabilities for individuals to live better through sports. As detailed in the Vision 2030 Live Better Through Sports recommendations, our mandate goes beyond driving participation and winning medals. At SSC, we use sport to create resilient, tenacious people, an appreciation for teamwork, a commitment to purpose, strong united communities and national pride.

To find out more, visit our websites Vision2030.sg and sportsingapore.gov.sg.
Follow us on Facebook and Flickr at: facebook.com/livebetterthroughsport and flickr.com/ssc-sportsphotography

About Standard Chartered Bank in Singapore
Standard Chartered in Singapore is part of an international banking group with an extensive network of over 1,700 branches and outlets in more than 70 countries in the Asia Pacific Region, South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, the United Kingdom and the Americas.

It is committed to building a sustainable business over the long term and is trusted worldwide for upholding high standards of corporate governance, social responsibility, environmental protection and employee diversity. The Bank’s heritage and values are expressed in its brand promise, ‘Here for good’.

Standard Chartered has a history of more than 150 years in Singapore, opening its first branch here in 1859 and in October 1999 was among the first international banks to receive a Qualifying Full Bank (QFB) licence, an endorsement of the Group’s long-standing commitment to its businesses in the country.

It serves both Consumer and Wholesale Banking customers. Consumer Banking provides credit cards, personal loans, mortgages, deposit taking and wealth management services to individuals and small to medium sized enterprises. Wholesale Banking provides corporate and institutional clients with services in trade finance, cash management, lending, securities services, foreign exchange, debt capital markets and corporate finance.

The Bank employs over 7,600 people in Singapore and has a network of 19 branches, 31 ATMs, and 7 Priority Banking centres. Standard Chartered is the only international bank to offer NETS service, giving its customers access to EFTPOS at over 17,000 outlets islandwide. The Bank’s global businesses - Consumer and Wholesale Banking - are managed out of Singapore, as is its global Technology & Operations function.

About Spectrum Worldwide
Spectrum Worldwide is a leading event management and experiential marketing company operating throughout the Asia Pacific region. For more than 20 years, Spectrum Worldwide has created and managed tailored experiences that not only bring to life our clients’ brands, but also provide opportunities for companies to showcase their core values in a memorable and compelling way.

Through long-standing partnerships with multi-national companies throughout the region, Spectrum Worldwide has consistently delivered groundbreaking, iconic events including OCBC Cycle Singapore and OCBC Cycle Malaysia, the Standard Chartered Marathon, Red Bull Flugtag Singapore, and the Singapore Red Bull Speed Street Singapore and KL. Spectrum is also expanding its footprint across the region and cementing its foothold in the cycling market following the launch of Cycle Asia, a network of premier cycling events across Asia.

Spectrum’s approach centres on understanding clients’ needs, and designing and delivering the best event solutions based on our years of experience.

For more information, go to: www.sww.com.sg