SINGAPORE – Before becoming a full-time athlete in February 2026, Singaporean runner Shaun Goh held three national records at one point and came close to breaking other marks.

But since turning professional, he has been on a roll.

On Nov 7, he set his seventh national record of 2026 by clocking 30min 27.83sec in the men’s 10,000m at the 26th Nittaidai Challenge Games in Yokohama, Japan.

He lopped 5.46 seconds off the previous mark of 30:33.29, set by Soh Rui Yong at the same meet on Nov 29, 2025.

Goh, 29, said: “There are multiple editions of the Nittaidai Challenge and Rui Yong will be running (in) the 27th edition, which is in two weeks…

“So we will see if the record lasts past the two weeks. Let’s enjoy it for now.”

At the start of the race, Goh found a “good pack” which ran quicker than the national record pace.

But as the leaders broke away around the 7km mark, he started slowing down.

“The whole group got separated and everybody was kind of running alone for the last 3km,” he said.

“I was in a bit of a tough situation where I had to run alone and try to chase people down, and it’s very mentally tough to get through because you are still quite far from the finish.

“But when I was at the 9km mark, I did some mental math and saw that I needed 3min 7sec to break the record and I got the job done by running 3min 1sec.”

The 10,000m track record adds to the national marks Goh set earlier in 2026 in the half-marathon, mile (road), 5km (road), 10km (road) and 2.4km (track). He broke the 10km road mark twice.

All seven records have come after he signed a two-year contract with sports management company Betterment Sports nine months ago and became a full-time athlete.

Goh, who had previously worked as an information security analyst, said: “Going full-time (helps because) I get the opportunity to race a lot more in better (quality) races.

“When I was working full-time, I was at the mercy of my leave (quota) and now I can plan my races a lot better and make my training towards those races a lot more efficient.

“Before this year, my fitness was at the cusp of breaking national records. So just having the chance to train full-time now definitely led to a big jump in fitness.

“And it’s a domino effect, because all these events are like, if you are fit enough to break one, you are usually fit enough to break multiple (records).

“The national records are just good indicators; they are not the be-all and end-all.

“The goal is still to go and win races.”

Goh, the first athlete under Betterment Sports’ professional athlete scheme, receives a monthly salary with full employment benefits, including health insurance and performance bonuses.

Betterment Sports chief executive Leon Lai said: “Seven national records since turning pro is a remarkable achievement, and everyone at Betterment Sports is incredibly proud of Shaun.

“He has put in the hard work, the sacrifice and the belief, and his journey shows what athletes can achieve when they have the right support around them.

“Our role is to give athletes like Shaun the environment, resources and confidence to chase their potential. We’re honoured to be part of his story.”

Goh will next travel to Australia for the Victorian Open & U20 5000m Championships on Nov 19, as he works towards 2027 SEA Games qualification.