Video of Cambodian woman finishing 5000m race in pouring rain goes viral

Bou Samnang receives praise from all around after video of her running through rain goes viral

Video of Cambodian runner Bou Samnang finishing 5000m race in pouring rain has won hearts (Twitter/Screengrab/@Olympics)

A video of a Cambodian runner who continued to race alone on a track through torrential rain has gone viral on social media.

Bou Samnang was running the 5000m race at Southeast Asian Games in Phnom Penh.

Cambodia is hosting the games for the first time.

On 8 May, though the race had been decided, the athlete continued to run alone through the rain and was hailed as an inspiration.

The Olympic Games Twitter handle said: “Even if you’re in last place.

“Even if the weather is terrible.

“Even if it feels like you can’t do it.

“Never give up

“Nothing was going to stop Cambodia’s Bou Samnang 🇰🇭 from finishing the women’s 5,000 metre race at the SEA Games.”

Later speaking to AFP she said: “I tried to reach the finish line because I wanted to show people that in life, even though we go a bit slow or fast, we will reach our destination all the same.

“So we should not give up. We should try our best.”

She said though she knew she was losing she did not want to give up as she was representing her country.

“I knew I was losing. The rain was so heavy,” she said. “I had the right to abandon the race, but first I have a duty to represent Cambodia. So I did not give up.”

Since the video of her running through the rain went viral, she has received praise from all around.

Prime Minister Hun Sen announced that the athlete would get $10,000 as a reward for her determination, reported NPR.

She also received praise from Cambodia’s King Norodom Sihamoni, who said he was proud of her for reminding everyone that sport is more than winning and losing.