Athletics

Trần Thị Nhi Yến competes in the 32nd SEA Games women's 100m sprint in May in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. She won a bronze medal. Photo nld.com.vn

Thanh Hà

Practising and competing professionally for more than one year, runner Trần Thị Nhi Yến is on the radar of national coaches to be the new sprint queen of Việt Nam after her strong performance at the recent continental championship.

The teenager is expected to bring Việt Nam back to the top of the SEA Games podium after defeats in the last two editions.

Yến, born in 2005, made Long An Province's athletic coaches happy with her brilliant performance in the provincial sport games in 2022. The girl secured three gold medals and set three records in the women's 100m, 200m and long jump events.

They soon persuaded Yến to become a professional track-and-field athlete. Months later, she took part in the National Youth Athletics Championship for the first time and won gold in the 200m category.

The National Sport Games (NSG) 2022 was successful for Yến who triumphed in the 100m race and finished second in the 200m, surprising experts and coaches.

"It was the best ever result at the NSG in the history of Long An sport," Nguyễn Hoàng Công, deputy director of the province's Culture, Sports and Tourism Department, said about Yến's performance.

"Her medals were for the most exciting and prestigious events in athletics. It is so great as she made it on her debut."

Trần Thị Nhi Yến poses for photos after wining a silver in the women's 200m event of the 32nd SEA Games in May in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. — Photo sggp.org.vn

Witnessing Yến from the stands, national coach Nguyễn Thanh Hương congratulated the 17-year-old runner as a promising new star for her team. Hương said the time of 11.75sec in 100m was a good sign from Yến, a newbie in the running community.

Yến was then picked up for the national team to prepare for the 32nd SEA Games in May in Cambodia.

In her first international major event, Yến placed third in the 100m, and second in the 200m events.

Her results were much appreciated as she had just trained for 10 months.

Fast growth

Two months later, Yến again dominated the podium at the HCM City Athletics Open winning a double in these two sprints in which she ran the 100m faster than in the SEA Games, clocking in at 11.68sec.

The progress helped the youngster receive a chance to take part in the Asian championship in Thailand in mid-July.

Yến ran 11.57sec in the 100m qualification, 11.55sec in the semi-finals and qualified for the final in which she was the youngest.

Although she did not make the top three, she consecutively set new personal bests. Being in Asia's top eight made both Yến and her coaches happy, as they set a target of learning and gaining experience against more powerful runners.

“I couldn't believe that I advanced to the 100m finals. This was my first time at the Asian championship and I had only one week practising for the tournament. A berth among the best eight runners was a surprise," said Yến.

Trần Thị Nhi Yến places in the Asian championship's top eight of the women's 100m event in her first time competing continentally. in Thailand in July. — Photo kinhtethitruong.vn

"Due to my limited preparation, I focused mainly on the 100m. My results in the semi-finals were pretty good, much better than my previous ones."

Coach Hương was also pleased with Yến's efforts.

"After the 32nd SEA Games, Yến had to spend time for the high-school graduation exam. She was busy with the exam from late May until early July. She had really little time for training, and told me her head was full of maths, literature and history lessons," Hương said.

Yến and her coach had to practise early in the morning from 5-7am every day. They could totally focus full time for the tournament for only one week. However, Hương appreciated the runner's determination and dedication.

Hương said Yến had not shown as good results as her senior Nguyễn Thị Hương and Lê Tú Chinh -- Việt Nam's SEA Games champions and best short-distance runner -- did when they were at the same age of 18.

Yến did her best and also took part in the 200m event at the Asian competition. It was a great opportunity for her to experience international competition and sharpen her technique, Hương said.

Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng, general secretary of the Việt Nam Athletics Federation, said that if there were no changes at the last minute, Yến would be one of Việt Nam's track-and-field representatives at the Asian Games in September in China.

The young athlete looks destined for big things. VNS