Lê Văn Tuấn (right) at the VPBank Hanoi Marathon on Sunday. — Photo thethao.vn

HÀ NỘI — Lê Văn Tuấn has won a place at the Southeast Asian Games after he won the VPBank Hanoi Marathon held on Sunday.

In the pro men’s 42km category, Tuấn completed the race with a time of 2:27.41 to finish first, leaving behind the runners-up of Trịnh Quốc Lượng (2:36.45) and Đào Minh Chí (2:39.34).

Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng, general secretary of the Việt Nam Athletics Federation, said this win will guarantee Tuấn, who finished second at the Tiền Phong Marathon 2020, a place at the SEA Games.

Hùng said: “With the careful preparation of the Việt Nam Athletics Federation, I highly appreciated today's run and also the 31st SEA Games marathon race-track. The track is flat, accurately measured, so runners enjoy it well.

Despite his victory, Tuấn wasn't satisfied with his time, and he said he believes there's more work to do if he is to be successful at the SEA Games.

He said: “As for today's performance, I'm really not satisfied because I haven't reached the goal set by the coaching staff. From now until the 31st SEA Games, I will focus on training to achieve the best."

At the age of 38, Tuấn will be one of the oldest athletes in Việt Nam’s athletics to attend the 31st Games.

Tuấn is originally from Ninh Bình Province but currently lives in Đồng Nai Province.

Although he came to marathon running late and mainly trains alone, in the past few years he has made remarkable progress. After being the runner-up in the Tiền Phong Marathon 2020, he was called up to the national team and trained in HCM City.

On the women’s side, Phạm Thị Hồng Lệ finished first with a time of 2:55.28, followed by Phạm Thị Huệ (2:55.52) và Lò Thị Thanh (3:00.50).

Runners at the VPBank Hanoi Marathon held in Hà Nội on Sunday. — Photo VP Bank Hanoi Marathon

But Lệ is unlikely to compete in the marathon event at the SEA Games.

She said: “At the SEA Games 31, my main category is 10,000m, so I will focus on this event as much as possible.”

The event attracted 600 runners which took them through the National Sports Complex in Mỹ Đình, the F1 Racing Road and routes including Đỗ Xuân Hợp Road, Tân Mỹ Road, Lê Đức Thọ Road and Lê Quang Đạo Road. — VNS