History was made in Germany as Singaporean triathlete Ben Khoo became the first athlete from the nation to complete an Ironman triathlon in under nine hours.
Racing at Ironman Hamburg on 1 June, Khoo crossed the finish line in an extraordinary time of 8 hours, 49 minutes, and 46 seconds, obliterating his previous national record of 9:02:34 set at Ironman Copenhagen in 2023. The result not only redefines the benchmark for Singapore but also surpasses the Southeast Asia record of 8:56:42, making Khoo the fastest Ironman in regional history.
A multi-discipline athlete who competes across triathlon, duathlon, and marathon distances, Khoo had declared his intent to break the elusive sub-9 barrier earlier this year. His record-breaking effort is the culmination of months of rigorous training, executed while balancing a full-time role as a business development executive and managing his own sports supplement company.
“The course was tough, the swim was longer than expected and I had to bike solo into the wind,” Khoo reflected after the race. “But I stuck to the race plan regardless. For this prep, I focused heavily on bike training and an equipment upgrade. That made a big difference, cutting 20 minutes off my previous bike split.”
Khoo also noted the emotional significance of the result. “This is definitely a relief after falling short last year. Balancing high-performance sport with a full-time job is never easy, but always worth it in the end.”
Beyond his own racing ambitions, Khoo is a committed advocate for the sport in Singapore. As the Assistant Secretary General of the Triathlon Association of Singapore, he plays an active role in youth development, spearheading initiatives such as the Youth Aquathlon League and the Youth Development Squad.
With this landmark achievement, Ben Khoo not only raises the bar for Ironman athletes in Singapore but also reinforces his status as a leading figure in Southeast Asia’s endurance sports scene.
