Vu Thi Huong pulled off a season's best performance in the women's 100m sprint on Nov. 22, but it was not enough to satisfy Vietnam 's desire for their first gold medal at the 16th Asian Games in
Guangzhou.
The queen of Southeast Asian sprinting finished third for a bronze medal in a time of 11.43sec.
Vietnam 's fastest woman improved as the competition went on, having run 11.56 in Noc. 21's qualifier and 11.46 in Nov. 22's semi-final. But it was not enough for her to top the podium as Japan 's Chisato Fukushima, the Asian champion, stole the limelight with a time of 11.33.
The 22-year-old beat defending champion Guzel Khubbieva of Uzbekistan by just one hundredth of a second in a photo finish.
"It [11.43] is not my personal best but it is my best for this season," said Huong. "Winning a medal is a good result for me because I have put a lot of effort into it."
Huong's bronze could not make Vietnam 's managers smile but they took comfort in the fact that it was the country's first track and field medal ever at the Asian Games.
Coach Nguyen Dinh Minh said he was satisfied with Huong's performance. "She ran well today despite a slower start compared to her rivals," said Minh.
Duong Duc Thuy, head of the Athletics Department, said the bronze was very important for Vietnamese athletics.
"It is great success and a big step for Vietnam as it's our first bronze in such a major sport at an event where all the athletes aim for the highest target."
There were high hopes for Vietnam ahead of the final, as Huong lined up alongside teammate Le Ngoc Phuong.
Phuong surpassed her coach's expectations this year, by leading home her heat before qualifying for Nov. 22's final with a personal best time of 11.65. The An Giang province-born athlete had not been expected to make it through the heats and was competing at the Games to get an experience of international competition.
However, Phuong failed to repeat her time in the final, finishing last in 11.76. Phuong will pair with Huong and two other athletes in the 4x100m relay today before she participates in the 200m tomorrow.
On the men's side, only Nguyen Dinh Cuong of Vietnam competed on Nov. 22 in the 1,500m. Cuong, who dominated the Southeast Asian Games, could not repeat the feat at the higher continental level, and failed to qualify for the final.
The Ninh Binh province athlete will take part in the 800m on Nov. 24.
In other news, Vietnam 's girls defeated Myanmar 21-9, 23-21 in the sepak takraw's regu event. They will next meet hosts China on Nov. 23.
It was Vietnam 's only win on Nov. 22. Earlier, Vietnam lost 199-226 to Japan in the men's team archery. While Ngo Thi Chung and Nguyen Thi Tuyet Mai were sent home after their defeats in the women's boxing. The fencers also suffered a loss of 22-45 to Japan in the women's foil quarter-finals.
Vietnam ended the tenth day of competitions with 11 silver and 12 bronze medals, standing at 25th./.
Guangzhou.
The queen of Southeast Asian sprinting finished third for a bronze medal in a time of 11.43sec.
Vietnam 's fastest woman improved as the competition went on, having run 11.56 in Noc. 21's qualifier and 11.46 in Nov. 22's semi-final. But it was not enough for her to top the podium as Japan 's Chisato Fukushima, the Asian champion, stole the limelight with a time of 11.33.
The 22-year-old beat defending champion Guzel Khubbieva of Uzbekistan by just one hundredth of a second in a photo finish.
"It [11.43] is not my personal best but it is my best for this season," said Huong. "Winning a medal is a good result for me because I have put a lot of effort into it."
Huong's bronze could not make Vietnam 's managers smile but they took comfort in the fact that it was the country's first track and field medal ever at the Asian Games.
Coach Nguyen Dinh Minh said he was satisfied with Huong's performance. "She ran well today despite a slower start compared to her rivals," said Minh.
Duong Duc Thuy, head of the Athletics Department, said the bronze was very important for Vietnamese athletics.
"It is great success and a big step for Vietnam as it's our first bronze in such a major sport at an event where all the athletes aim for the highest target."
There were high hopes for Vietnam ahead of the final, as Huong lined up alongside teammate Le Ngoc Phuong.
Phuong surpassed her coach's expectations this year, by leading home her heat before qualifying for Nov. 22's final with a personal best time of 11.65. The An Giang province-born athlete had not been expected to make it through the heats and was competing at the Games to get an experience of international competition.
However, Phuong failed to repeat her time in the final, finishing last in 11.76. Phuong will pair with Huong and two other athletes in the 4x100m relay today before she participates in the 200m tomorrow.
On the men's side, only Nguyen Dinh Cuong of Vietnam competed on Nov. 22 in the 1,500m. Cuong, who dominated the Southeast Asian Games, could not repeat the feat at the higher continental level, and failed to qualify for the final.
The Ninh Binh province athlete will take part in the 800m on Nov. 24.
In other news, Vietnam 's girls defeated Myanmar 21-9, 23-21 in the sepak takraw's regu event. They will next meet hosts China on Nov. 23.
It was Vietnam 's only win on Nov. 22. Earlier, Vietnam lost 199-226 to Japan in the men's team archery. While Ngo Thi Chung and Nguyen Thi Tuyet Mai were sent home after their defeats in the women's boxing. The fencers also suffered a loss of 22-45 to Japan in the women's foil quarter-finals.
Vietnam ended the tenth day of competitions with 11 silver and 12 bronze medals, standing at 25th./.
