Baton Run goes to Cambodia

CAMBODIA’S Asian Games taekwondo champion Sorn Seavmey and petanque world champion Ouk Sreymom took part in the Rising Together Baton Run in Phnom Penh on Saturday. The Cambodian stage is the eighth in the inaugural Baton Run after Brunei, the Philippines, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and Timor Leste.

“I hope that through this Baton Run, it will inspire the next generation of world champions for Cambodia,” said Seavmey at the start of the race.

Sreymom added: “I think that I am very lucky to be able to take part in this Run alongside other runners as it has given a strong community feeling to the event.”

With the well-equipped Malaysian Embassy chosen as the starting point in Phnom Penh, the Baton Run was once again attended by Datuk M. Saravanan, the Malaysian Deputy Sports Minister, who did the customary passing of the baton to Dr. Hang Chuon Naron, the Cambodian Minister of Education, Youth and Sports as the latter later handed the baton to first runner Seavmey.

Seavmey was Cambodia’s first gold medallist at the Asian Games since 1954 when she won the women’s under-73 kg event at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea.