Lan smashes 10-year record

High flyer: Thanh Hoa's Nguyen Thi Phuong competes in the women's 3,000m steeplechase event at the National Track-and Field Championships on Thursday. — VNA/VNS Photo Quoc Khanh

HA NOI (VNS)— Quach Thi Lan broke a 10-year-old record for the women's 400m hurdle at the National Track-and Field Championships in Ha Noi's My Dinh Stadium on Thursday.

The 16-year-old Thanh Hoa Province runner clocked 57.36 secs, beating the old record of 57.97 made by Nguyen Thanh Hoa in 2002.

The result was even better than Malaysian Noraseela Khalid's 57.41 who pocketed a gold medal at the 26th Southeast Asian Games last year.

Lan is the rising star of Viet Nam athletics after three golds at the Southeast Asian Youth Athletics Championships' 200m, 400m and 4x400m events in April.

Earlier 23-year-old Trinh Tan Nhanh of Vinh Long also shattered the old record in the men's hammer throw with 60.41m, much better than the 49.63m thrown by Tran Hoang Thien two years ago.

His teammate Tran Minh Tuan later triumphed in the men's shot-put with 14.45m.

The Thanh Hoa team earned a second gold in the women's 3,000m steeplechase event when SEA Games silver medallist Nguyen Thi Phuong finished with a time of 10:34.54.

Host Ha Noi also took two golds in the men's long jump with a jump of 7.49m by Nguyen Van Hung. Dao Xuan Cuong ran 52.38 in the men's 400m hurdle event to take the second medal.

The Army team also won two golds in the men's 4x200m and 5,000m to share top position with Ha Noi and Thanh Hoa.

In other events, sprint runner Vu Thi Huong helped An Giang Province win their first gold medal in the women's 4x200m; Le Thi Lai from Soc Trang topped in the women's shot-put and Tran Cong Phuoc from Thua Thien-Hue won the men's high jump.

The championships will finish on Tuesday. — VNS