Pocari Sweat has announced the support for Singapore female marathoner Neo Jie Shi. Jie Shi will be representing Singapore in the marathon event at this August's Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Jie Shi qualified for an Olympic spot when she came in 10th in the women's open category at the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore 2015. The top 10 runners at the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Gold Label races earn entry to the Olympic Games.

As the first female to represent Singapore in the marathon at the Olympics, she will be joined by fellow Olympic Dream chaser - local marathoner Mok Ying Ren who recently ran a new half marathon national record of 1hr 7mins and 8 secs on 17 Jan 2016 at the Arizona Rock ‘N’ Roll Half-Marathon.

A member of the Jurong SAFRA Running Club, Jie Shi attributes her achievements to determination and hard work. Juggling a full time job with training sessions, Jie Shi finds support from her family, employer and running mates. One of her biggest supporters is her husband who also trains alongside with her.

With less than eight months left to the Olympics in August, Pocari Sweat sets to support Jie Shi's training and hydration plans by tapping into their global network and support of international running events in order to send her to overseas competitions, with the Seoul International Marathon first on the calendar on 20 March 2016.

Jie Shi understands that proper hydration is a crucial component of both training and a marathon race and is grateful to have found support from Pocari Sweat, a global brand that recognises the importance of hydration.

Olympic-Bound Singapore Marathoner Neo Jie Shi is glad to join the Pocari Sweat family of sponsored athletes.

“We are delighted to welcome Jie Shi to the Pocari Sweat family. We are also planning to introduce Jie Shi to world class Japanese marathoners who train under the Otsuka Pharmaceutical Track and Field team, a team owned by the parent company of Pocari Sweat in Japan.” said Puspita Winawati, country manager for Pocari Sweat Singapore.

“It’s not easy to manage work commitments and still fulfil a strict training regime but Jie Shi’s excellent physical condition shows us the ideal balance she strikes between intensive training, proper hydration and strong motivation. Driven by Otsuka’s philosophy to improve the quality of health worldwide, we believe that Jie Shi will be a role model not only to the running community but also to the general public to adopt a balanced lifestyle for better physical and mental health.”

Pocari Sweat has been supporting runners for decades, striving to develop athletes to achieve their best performance through proper hydration. Inspired by the idea of a drinkable I.V. Solution, POCARI SWEAT was developed in 1980 by Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (OPC), one of Japan’s most reputable pharmaceutical companies.