The 4x400m mixed relay team won the third gold medal for Việt Nam in athletics at the 32nd SEA Games on May 8 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. VNA/VNS Photos

HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese swimmers and runners took four gold medals on the third day of the 32nd SEA Games competitions on May 8 in Cambodia.

The 4x400m mixed relay team won a gold after leaving defending champion Thailand far behind.

Việt Nam won with a time of 3min 21.27sec. They successfully took the title back after losing to Thailand at the last Games in Hà Nội.  

Nguyễn Thị Oanh (second, right) of Việt Nam wins the women's 5,000m event.

Earlier, Nguyễn Thị Oanh met no difficulty to defend her title in the women's 5,000m event. She left all runners, including teammate Phạm Thị Hồng Lệ, far behind to make a solo performance to the finish line. 

Her time of 17:00.33 was not a new record as she ran under a heavy rain. It was her fourth time winning this category.

"I am happy to maintain at the top of this category, which is my first at this Games. I hope that I will do well in all others," said Oanh, who still has three races ahead.

"I am also excited because many people are following and supporting me during these days," said Oanh, who won three titles at the last Games.

In addition to the golds, the track-and-field athletes also took two more silvers in the evening session.

Nguyễn Hoài Văn finished second in the men's javelin throw. Văn, who just recovered from knee injury, failed to defend his title, losing to Filipino Abd Hafiz.

Reigning champion Lương Đức Phước also could not keep his top place in the men's 1,500m. He came second after Thai naturalised citizen Kieran Tuntivate, who earlier set a Southeast Asian record in the 5,000m event at an open tournament in the US.

In swimming, defending champions Nguyễn Huy Hoàng and Trần Hưng Nguyên were unbeatable in their categories.  

Nguyễn Huy Hoàng defends his title in the men's 1,500m swimming.

Hoàng won the men's 1,500m to take his second gold in this Games. His teammate Nguyễn Hữu Kim Sơn came in second and took a silver.

Meanwhile, Nguyên won the men's 400m individual medley, pocketing his third gold. His teammate Nguyễn Quang Thuấn was second for a silver.

Bokator domination

Bokator is a Cambodian traditional martial art but Vietnamese fighters were dominate in the first time it is organised in the regional sports meet.

Among nine combat events available, the Vietnamese entered six finals and won all, with their sweep in all four categories for women.

The winning fighters were Phạm Thị Phượng in the women's 45kg, Nguyễn Thị Thanh Tiền in the women's 50kg, Nguyễn Thị Tuyết Mai in the women's 55kg and Trần Võ Song Thương in the women's 60kg. The two male champions were Huỳnh Văn Cường in the men's 65kg and Ngô Đức Mạnh in the men's 70kg.

Among the athletes who were originally practiced Vietnamese traditional martial artists, Mai was a special as it was her third time participating in the SEA Games. And bokator was the third martial art that she competed in, the two others being kickboxing and muay thai.

Nguyễn Thị Tuyết Mai (right) hugs her rival after winning the women's 55kg bokator.

The impressive achievement of the Việt Nam bokator team placed them second in the medal rankings. Cambodia is on top with eight golds, but six of them were from performance events that Việt Nam did not take part in.

With 30 golds after three days, Việt Nam jumped to second place behind host Cambodia, who has earned 37, while Thailand is third with 28 golds. VNS