Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Vietnam will send its four best athletes tocompete for medals at the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships 2023 inKazakhstan later this week.
It is the first continental tournament in which Vietnamese competitorswill participate after three years of the pandemic.
All four have performed impressively in recent tournaments, includingthe 31st SEA Games and the ninth National Sports Games (NSG) in 2022.
Multi-time SEA Games winner NguyenThi Huyen will compete in the women's 400m event.
Huyen successfully defended her 400m and 4x400m titles at theregional sports event in May in Hanoi.
Seven months later, her domination continued at the NSG in the capitalcity, setting her seasonal best of 53.37sec.
The SEA Games record breaker NguyenThi Oanh will participate in the women's 1,500m and 3,000m events.While the 3,000m steeplechase is usually her preferred event, the 3,000m isheld instead in the indoor tournament.
Oanh had a career-defining 2022, winning a hattrick of the 1,500m,3,000m steeplechase and 5,000m and setting a new record in the steeplechase.
She also won gold at the NSG in the 1,500, 3,000m steeplechase and10,000m, setting another record in the last category.
Her best time in the 1,500m is 4min 16.67sec. Her SEA Games record inthe 3,000m steeplechase is 9:52.44. However, she has not competed in the 3,000mfor almost three years.
Oanh won bronze medals in both events in the previous tournament editionin 2018.
She was also voted the best Vietnamese athlete of 2022 by the NationalSports Administration and secured a trophy for the best female athlete of theVictory Cup, as voted by the VTVcab and Vietcontent Sports.
Rising star Luong Duc Phuoc willmake his debut continental debut in the 800m and 1,500m events. The 20-year-oldestablished his domination in the national championship and the NSG. The SEAGames' 1,500m triumph was a big win for the rookie in his first appearance.
His personal bests are 1:58.89 in the 800m and 4:00.62 in the 1,500m.
The last domestic athlete travelling to Kazakstan is Nguyen Trung Cuong, thewinner of the NSG's 3,000m steeplechase and 5,000m.
Cuong was recognised as a promising talent after his performancesat international junior tournaments when he was young. However, he slipped downthe national rankings after injuries and family commitments.
He started his comeback in September when he overcame powerful athleteslike former SEA Games winner Do Quoc Luat in the3,000m steeplechase and SEA Games champion Nguyen Van Lai in the 5,000m to take the top podiums atthe NSG.
His NSG record of 8:58.35 in the 3,000m steeplechase is a strong base tohelp him get high results in the 3,000m.
The championship will take place at Astana's Qazaqstan sports complexfrom February 10-12. About 500 athletes from 31 countries and territories willjoin the tournament, including 26 disciplines of running, throwing, jumping,and all-around events.
Vietnamese delegation under coach VuNgoc Loi will leave for the tournament on February 8.
The Astana championships will be the 10th edition of the tournament. Thebiennial event, organised by Asian Athletics Association, was cancelled in2020, while last year’s event was pushed forward due to COVID-19.
In the 2018 championship, Vietnam ranked seventh with one gold and threebronzes./.
It is the first continental tournament in which Vietnamese competitorswill participate after three years of the pandemic.
All four have performed impressively in recent tournaments, includingthe 31st SEA Games and the ninth National Sports Games (NSG) in 2022.
Multi-time SEA Games winner NguyenThi Huyen will compete in the women's 400m event.
Huyen successfully defended her 400m and 4x400m titles at theregional sports event in May in Hanoi.
Seven months later, her domination continued at the NSG in the capitalcity, setting her seasonal best of 53.37sec.
The SEA Games record breaker NguyenThi Oanh will participate in the women's 1,500m and 3,000m events.While the 3,000m steeplechase is usually her preferred event, the 3,000m isheld instead in the indoor tournament.
Oanh had a career-defining 2022, winning a hattrick of the 1,500m,3,000m steeplechase and 5,000m and setting a new record in the steeplechase.
She also won gold at the NSG in the 1,500, 3,000m steeplechase and10,000m, setting another record in the last category.
Her best time in the 1,500m is 4min 16.67sec. Her SEA Games record inthe 3,000m steeplechase is 9:52.44. However, she has not competed in the 3,000mfor almost three years.
Oanh won bronze medals in both events in the previous tournament editionin 2018.
She was also voted the best Vietnamese athlete of 2022 by the NationalSports Administration and secured a trophy for the best female athlete of theVictory Cup, as voted by the VTVcab and Vietcontent Sports.
Rising star Luong Duc Phuoc willmake his debut continental debut in the 800m and 1,500m events. The 20-year-oldestablished his domination in the national championship and the NSG. The SEAGames' 1,500m triumph was a big win for the rookie in his first appearance.
His personal bests are 1:58.89 in the 800m and 4:00.62 in the 1,500m.
The last domestic athlete travelling to Kazakstan is Nguyen Trung Cuong, thewinner of the NSG's 3,000m steeplechase and 5,000m.
Cuong was recognised as a promising talent after his performancesat international junior tournaments when he was young. However, he slipped downthe national rankings after injuries and family commitments.
He started his comeback in September when he overcame powerful athleteslike former SEA Games winner Do Quoc Luat in the3,000m steeplechase and SEA Games champion Nguyen Van Lai in the 5,000m to take the top podiums atthe NSG.
His NSG record of 8:58.35 in the 3,000m steeplechase is a strong base tohelp him get high results in the 3,000m.
The championship will take place at Astana's Qazaqstan sports complexfrom February 10-12. About 500 athletes from 31 countries and territories willjoin the tournament, including 26 disciplines of running, throwing, jumping,and all-around events.
Vietnamese delegation under coach VuNgoc Loi will leave for the tournament on February 8.
The Astana championships will be the 10th edition of the tournament. Thebiennial event, organised by Asian Athletics Association, was cancelled in2020, while last year’s event was pushed forward due to COVID-19.
In the 2018 championship, Vietnam ranked seventh with one gold and threebronzes./.
VNA
