Hem Bunting
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  Cambodia | ||
| Athletics | ||
| Southeast Asian Games | ||
 | 2007 Nakhon Ratchasima | Marathon |
 | 2007 Nakhon Ratchasima | 5,000 m |
| 2009 Vientiane | Marathon |
Hem Bunting (Khmer: ហែម ប៊ុនទីង, born December 12, 1985) is a Cambodian marathoner.
Bunting is one of nine children from a family of farmers in Stung Treng Province. The British Broadcasting Corporation has described him as "so poor he lives in the crumbling athletics stadium where he trains". He won a silver medal in the marathon and a bronze at the 5,000 metre race at the 2007 Southeast Asian Games. He represented Cambodia in the marathon at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, finishing 73rd in a time of 2:33:32.[1]
Bunting had few facilities and little funding to prepare for the Olympics. He trained by running laps on a track simultaneously used by casual joggers, and could not afford to buy running shoes.[1] The BBC's article on him moved one reader to send him new training shoes prior to the Beijing Olympics.[2]
He has made a significant effort in his second Marathon outing of 2012 after finishing in top 50 (42nd) at the Paris Marathon on April 15 with a personal best of 2:23:29. The time also improved on his previous national record 2:25:20 set during 2009 Southeast Asian Games in Vientiane where he won a bronze medal. Not only that, his official intermediate time at half marathon shows 1:09:04, which is a new national record.[3]
Competition record
[edit]| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representing Cambodia | |||||
| 2004 | World Half Marathon Championships | New Delhi, India | 79th | Half marathon | 1:19:40 (NR) |
| 2005 | Asian Championships | Incheon, South Korea | 20th | 1500 m | 4:03.87 |
| 13th | 5000 m | 15:41.30 | |||
| 2006 | Asian Indoor Championships | Pattaya, Thailand | 11th (h) | 1500 m | 4:06.10 |
| 9th | 3000 m | 9:02.00 | |||
| Asian Games | Doha, Qatar | 13th | 5000 m | 15:19.25 | |
| 2007 | World Championships | Osaka, Japan | 39th (h) | 1500 m | 4:08.31 |
| Southeast Asian Games | Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand | 3rd | 5000 m | 14:24.71 (NR) | |
| 2008 | Olympic Games | Beijing, China | 73rd | Marathon | 2:33:32 |
| 2009 | World Championships | Berlin, Germany | 39th (h) | 1500 m | 4:08.64 |
| Jeux de la Francophonie | Beirut, Lebanon | 11th | 5000 m | 15:39.28 | |
| Southeast Asian Games | Vientiane, Laos | 6th | 5000 m | 15:45.63 | |
| 3rd | Marathon | 2:25:19.68 (NR) | |||
| 2010 | Asian Games | Guangzhou, China | – | Marathon | DNF |
| 2013 | Asian Championships | Pune, India | 10th | 5000 m | 16:36.49 |
| 2014 | Asian Games | Incheon, South Korea | – | Marathon | DNF |
Personal bests
[edit]Outdoor
- 1500 m – 4:03.87 (Incheon 2005)
- 5000 m – 14:24.71 (Nakhon Ratchasema 2007)
- Half Marathon – 1:11:47 (Khon Kaen 2008)
- Marathon – 2:23:29 (Paris 2012)
Indoor
- 1500 m – 4:06.10 (Pattaya 2006)
- 3000 m – 9:02.00 (Pattaya 2006)
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Against the Odds: Hem Bunting", BBC, July 21, 2008
- ^ "Against the Odds: How did they do?", BBC, August 26, 2008
- ^ Jad Adrian (April 2012).Cambodian Hem Bunting Renews National Record 2:23:29 at Paris Marathon. www.adriansprints.com, Retrieved 16 April 2012.
External links
[edit]- Hem Bunting at World Athletics
- Hem Bunting at Olympedia
- Hem Bunting at World Athletics
- BBC News video about Hem Bunting
 | This biographical article relating to Cambodian athletics is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |