Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Marathon champ in battle against AIDS

Marathon champ in battle against AIDS

Marathon champ in battle against AIDS

marathon.jpg
marathon.jpg

Marathon runner To Rithya, 43, is one of Cambodia's most famous athletes. He took part in the 1996 and 2000 Olympic marathons and carried the national flag at the opening ceremony of both games.

T

ENS of thousands of people were on their feet cheering as To Rithya, one of Cambodia's

most famous athletes, entered the Olympic Stadium in Sydney 2000.

Exhausted and dehydrated, he battled to complete the final 400 metres of the 26 mile

Olympic Marathon.

It didn't matter that his muscles were screaming with pain and his lungs were on

fire, or even that he was the 80th of 81 runners completing the race.

What mattered was that far away the 11 million Cambodians he represented were willing

him on towards the finishing line.

Giving every last drop of energy to the end, Rithya collapsed from exhaustion and

dehydration as he crossed the line.

He may not have picked up a medal, but the whole of Cambodia could be proud at this

39-year-old runner giving his all to finish in a time of three hours and three minutes.

"The finish of the Olympic Marathon is always inside the stadium, and you have

to run a lap of the track, four hundred meters," he said.

"I was so, so tired but when I entered the stadium the crowd started cheering

me and shouting for Cambodia. That gave me strength, although I had trouble running

in a straight line.

"I had a look at the marathon course on my first day in Sydney and it was very

hilly, I felt I wouldn't be able to get to the end of the road, but then I reminded

myself I was representing the whole of Cambodia and decided I would finish the race."

Sydney was Rithya's second Olympics: he also competed in the 1996 Atlanta games which

heralded Cambodia's return to the international stage after an absence of more than

two decades.

He had the honour of carrying the national flag, leading the team into Olympic Stadium

at the opening ceremony of both events.

He said: "Atlanta and Sydney were both so different to Cambodia, but I preferred

the Atlanta games because the weather was hot like at home.

"The food was very different too. When I first saw western food I thought there

would be a lot of vitamins in to support me. But it didn't taste very good, not as

good as Khmer food."

And now he is taking part in a new battle, using his status to warn young Khmers

of the dangers of AIDS and HIV in a UNESCO-backed campaign.

Rithya can be seen appearing nightly in television commercials along with other sports

stars.

"I am upset Cambodia has such a high rate of HIV/AIDS because it hurts so many

Cambodians," he said. "I wanted to take part in the campaign to spread

the message, that's what's important."

MOST VIEWED

  • 12th Cambodia int’l film festival to see return of Hollywood star

    Phnom Penh is set to come alive with the magic of cinema as the highly anticipated 12th Cambodia International Film Festival (CIFF) takes centre stage. Boasting an impressive line-up of 188 films from 23 countries, including captivating shorts, feature films, documentaries and animation, the festival promises an

  • Bareknuckle champion wants Kun Khmer fighter

    Dave Leduc, who is the current openweight Lethwei boxing champion in Myanmar, has announced that he will travel to Cambodia this year to challenge SEA Games gold medallist Prum Samnang any time that is convenient, after their planned match later this month in Slovakia was

  • Struggling Battambang artist dreams of staging full-scale gallery exhibition

    Leav Kimchhoth, a 55-year-old artist from Battambang province, is a familiar face to locals and tourists alike on the streets of the riverside in Phnom Penh. The one-armed painter and illustrator often hawks his work near the night market on weekends and public holidays. He

  • Fresh Covid warnings as Thai hospital fills

    A senior health official reminds the public to remain vigilant, as neighbouring countries experience an increase in Covid-19 cases, with the latest surge appearing to be a result of the Omicron XBB.1.5 sub-variant. Or Vandine, secretary of state and spokeswoman for the Ministry of Health,

  • 1.4 billion dollar Phnom Penh-Bavet expressway due in four years

    The Government, through the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, has officially signed a public-private partnership agreement with a private company for the construction of a Phnom Penh-Bavet Expressway project that will connect the capital to Svay Rieng province. The budget for the project is

  • New Law on Taxation comes into effect

    Cambodia has enacted the eagerly-awaited new Law on Taxation, which aims to improve the national tax regime’s compliance with present and future international standards and economic conditions; encourage accountability, effectiveness and transparency in the collection process; and promote investment in the Kingdom. King Norodom