Cambodian athlete's inspiring run for last place earns $10,000 reward
Cambodian runner Bou Samnang finished last in a long-distance race at the SEA Games but became a sporting inspiration for her perseverance.
She has been honoured by other athletes and the country’s king, and received a US$10,000 reward from Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and First Lady Bun Rany.
Cambodian runner Bou Samnang finished last in the women's 5,000-metre race at the SEA Games, nearly six minutes behind the gold medallist Nguyen Thị Oanh of Vietnam who won with a time of 22:54:220.
Still, Samnang – who suffered a health problem one month before the race – became a viral sensation because she refused to give up, even after a rain storm began and she knew she would finish in last place.
Prime Minister Hun Sen, who is attending a meeting of Asean leaders in Indonesia, said the reward was to "encourage her for her determination".
"Bou Samnang kept running in the torrential rain until the finish line although she did not place [in the medals]," Hun Sen wrote in a statement.
"To encourage perseverance, my wife and I are donating $10,000 to her."
The average garment worker in Cambodia, the only sector in the country with a minimum wage, earns a base monthly salary of about $200 for a 48-hour working week.
