Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam’s athletics team further cemented its status as one of the region’s leading forces after securing two gold medals at the 2026 Asian Relay Championships in China, surpassing its pre-tournament target.
Quartet Ta Ngoc Tuong, Vu Ngoc Khanh, Tran Dinh Son and Le Ngoc Phuc stunned onlookers with their win in the men's 4x400m event.
Facing strong rivals from India and Sri Lanka as well as their Chinese hosts, the Vietnamese runners were not considered title contenders. Even the most optimistic experts and supporters did not expect them to emerge victorious.
However, the team managed to pull through. National champion Tuong gave an impressive performance in the first leg, as he and an Indian runner tied in first before giving the baton to second-leg runner Khanh.
Khanh and Son kept themselves in the top three in their races, handing off a tough task to SEA Games mixed 4x400m relay champion Phuc. He spent most of the race in third position. But with just 150m left, he sped up, leaving behind all of his opponents to finish first in a time of 3 minutes 2.60 seconds.
China took silver with a time of 3:03.23, and Sri Lanka were third in 3:03.33.
The result was a new record for the tournament, beating the old record of 3:04.48 set by Sri Lanka in 2024, and for Vietnam as well, trouncing the previous record of 3:03.85 set at the 33rd SEA Games last year in Thailand.
The team's achievement has given a big boost to Vietnam's medal hopes ahead of the Asian Games in September in Japan.
Earlier that day, the women's team also defended their title in the 4x400 race.
Hoang Thi Minh Hanh, Quach Thi Lan, Nguyen Thi Hang and Nguyen Thi Ngoc dominated the race, giving their opponents no chance to edge out their top ranking.
Hang, one of Vietnam’s top relay runners, proved during the third leg that physical stature is no barrier to success on the track. Despite being the smallest athlete in the field, she surged from third place to take the lead, opening up a crucial gap for Ngoc, who anchored the team in the final leg.
Ngoc was even faster, extending the gap and wrapping up the race with a time of 3:31.16. China were second with 3:32.68, followed by Kazakhstan in 3:33.87.
With two golds, Vietnam topped the medal tally. China placed second with one gold, four silvers and one bronze. Thailand and India shared third place, earning one gold, one silver and one bronze./.
