VietNamNet Bridge – Viet Nam topped the two-day Track and Field International Championships which ended in HCM City on Saturday.
Vu Thi Huong of Viet Nam snatches a double title at the Track and Field International Championships which closed in HCM City on Saturday. Huong triumphed in the women’s 100m and 200m events. — Photo tdtt.gov.vn
The hosts won eight gold medals, followed by South Korea and Thailand in second and third place.
On the last day, ‘sprint queen’ Vu Thi Huong bagged her second title in the women’s 200m race with a time of 23.92 seconds, beating Le Thi Mong Tuyen of HCM City and Thai athlete Katchakorn.
While she did not make a new national record, Huong is confident about her performance at upcoming international tournaments.
“I could not break the record as planned, mainly because of the rain and the wet tracks. But it is an important reference point for us. Based on this, my coach and I would make suitable adjustments in training for better results. After a training course in Europe, I will definitely compete at the 17th Asian Games in South Korea with 100 per cent of my ability,” Huong said.
Bui Thi Thu Thao sprang a big surprise by beating former Asian champion Marestella Torres in the women’s long jump event.
The Filipino, who is the SEA Games record holder with a 6.71-metre jump in 2005, could only jump a maximum of 6.14 metres in three attempts, and saw Thao take the gold with a leap of 6.46 metres.
Later, Do Thi Thao and Duong Van Thai faced little competition in the women’s and men’s 1,500-metre races, respectively.
Thao won with a time of 4:24.45. Thanh Hoa’s Nguyen Thi Phuong came second and Vu Thi Ly of Yen Bai was placed third.
Thai finished his race with a time of 4:03.27, with Pham Tien San from Bac Giang being the runner-up.
The women’s 4×200-metre relay team of HCM City grabbed the gold medal a few minutes after Military took the men’s title.
Nguyen Van Lai pocketed another gold medal in the men’s 10,000-metre run, with a timing of 32:51.80.
Earlier, SEA Games winner Tran Hue Hoa was crowned the women’s triple jump champion with a score of 13.84 metres.
VNS/VNN