In May 2023, the women’s 5000-meter final took place at the Southeast Asian Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. After all the runners crossed the finish line, only one athlete was still on the track—Cambodian national runner Bou Samnang.
On the day of the race, her condition was so poor that even her coach advised her not to compete. But she couldn’t bring herself to give up the chance to represent her country in its first international event held at home. From the start, she fell behind, and the gap between her and the other runners kept growing. Eventually, she was the only one left running.
To make matters worse, heavy rain began to pour down, with thunder and lightning flashing across the sky. The rankings had already been decided, and the rain was so heavy she could barely see—but she didn’t stop running.
Her final time was 22 minutes and 54 seconds—about 6 minutes behind the winner. After the race, a reporter asked why she kept going. Samnang answered:
“I wanted to show that whether you’re fast or slow, everyone can reach their destination in life. We must never give up—we have to do our best.”