Army captain, 25, collapses and dies after completing 21km run
Army captain, 25, collapses and dies after completing 21km run
By Lee Hui Chieh
COMPLETING the 21-km-long half marathon in 90 minutes, Captain Ho Si Qiu, 25, crossed the finish line at 7am yesterday - and collapsed soon after.
His heart had stopped.
Within 30 seconds, medical personnel were at his side.
They carried him to a medical post nearby and started pumping his chest. A breathing tube was inserted and he was injected with resuscitation drugs.
But they could not revive him.
At 7.23am, he was taken by ambulance to Singapore General Hospital, with cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR administered en route.
At the hospital, doctors again tried - and failed - to save him.
The platoon commander from the Officer Cadet School was pronounced dead at 8.07am yesterday.
The regular serviceman became the latest fit and active person to die suddenly while exercising strenuously.
At least four others have died this year while running, practising taekwondo or working out in the gym.
Among them was teenage triathlete Thaddeus Cheong, 17, who collapsed and died after completing a gruelling triathlon two months ago.
His death resulted in a Sports Safety Committee being set up last month, whose first task was to review current safety measures and recommend a comprehensive safety framework.
It has submitted a preliminary report to the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, said the minister, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, yesterday.
Speaking at a dancesport competition last night, Dr Balakrishnan noted that he did not believe that Capt Ho's tragic death was a case of inadequate medical preparation, equipment or attention.
The organisers of the Singapore Bay Run - formerly known as the Safra Sheares Bridge Run and Army Half Marathon - had 16 ambulances, each equipped with a defibrillator, and 130 medical personnel on standby.
Capt Ho was among the record 70,000 people, including Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean, who had taken part in the event organised by the Army, Safra National Service Association and the Singapore Sports Council.
Participants in the run, now into its 16th year, could compete in the 12km or 21km events, or run recreationally for 6km or 12km.
A spokesman for the organising committee said that CPR was continuously performed on Capt Ho on the way to the hospital.
Dr Balakrishnan, who had run in the 12km event with his son, said: 'So at this point I would say it would appear that everything possible, that could be done, was done.'
At Capt Ho's home yesterday evening, some 20 well-wishers were sitting with the family in their living room.
The family declined to comment when approached.
One of Capt Ho's colleagues, who did not wish to be named, said: 'He was an exemplary officer, and he was a good man.'
By Lee Hui Chieh
COMPLETING the 21-km-long half marathon in 90 minutes, Captain Ho Si Qiu, 25, crossed the finish line at 7am yesterday - and collapsed soon after.
His heart had stopped.
Within 30 seconds, medical personnel were at his side.
They carried him to a medical post nearby and started pumping his chest. A breathing tube was inserted and he was injected with resuscitation drugs.
But they could not revive him.
At 7.23am, he was taken by ambulance to Singapore General Hospital, with cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR administered en route.
At the hospital, doctors again tried - and failed - to save him.
The platoon commander from the Officer Cadet School was pronounced dead at 8.07am yesterday.
The regular serviceman became the latest fit and active person to die suddenly while exercising strenuously.
At least four others have died this year while running, practising taekwondo or working out in the gym.
Among them was teenage triathlete Thaddeus Cheong, 17, who collapsed and died after completing a gruelling triathlon two months ago.
His death resulted in a Sports Safety Committee being set up last month, whose first task was to review current safety measures and recommend a comprehensive safety framework.
It has submitted a preliminary report to the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, said the minister, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, yesterday.
Speaking at a dancesport competition last night, Dr Balakrishnan noted that he did not believe that Capt Ho's tragic death was a case of inadequate medical preparation, equipment or attention.
The organisers of the Singapore Bay Run - formerly known as the Safra Sheares Bridge Run and Army Half Marathon - had 16 ambulances, each equipped with a defibrillator, and 130 medical personnel on standby.
Capt Ho was among the record 70,000 people, including Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean, who had taken part in the event organised by the Army, Safra National Service Association and the Singapore Sports Council.
Participants in the run, now into its 16th year, could compete in the 12km or 21km events, or run recreationally for 6km or 12km.
A spokesman for the organising committee said that CPR was continuously performed on Capt Ho on the way to the hospital.
Dr Balakrishnan, who had run in the 12km event with his son, said: 'So at this point I would say it would appear that everything possible, that could be done, was done.'
At Capt Ho's home yesterday evening, some 20 well-wishers were sitting with the family in their living room.
The family declined to comment when approached.
One of Capt Ho's colleagues, who did not wish to be named, said: 'He was an exemplary officer, and he was a good man.'
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