Vietnam’s track-and-field athletes have set a target of 10 gold medals at the upcoming 27th Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 27) slated for December 9-18 in Myanmar, maintaining the country’s place in the region’s top three.

In the previous SEA Games, with nine gold medals, track-in-field brought home the second largest number of golds after gymnastics (11 medals).

This year, as host Myanmar eliminates gymnastics in the list of competition, track-and-field is expected to be the main “gold mine” for Vietnamese sports.

Athletes at the biggest sport competition in the region will compete for 460 sets of medal in 33 sport events, of which track-and-field will account for 46 medal sets. The Vietnam Athletics Federation is hopeful to bag medals in many categories, including women’s 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m run, race walking, high jump and triple-step jump, as well as men’s 800m, 400m sprint, race walking and decathlon.

According to Lam Quang Thanh, deputy head of the General Department of Sports and Physical Training and head of the Vietnamese sports delegation, the country’s track-and-field is capable of earning more than nine gold medals.

Since SEA Games 21 in 2003, Vietnam ’s track-and-field has been always placed in the region’s top three.-VNA