Aquathlon

Vũ Đình Duân finishes his swim leg at the Aquaman Vietnam 2022. He will defend his top position at this year’s tournament on October 29 in Bình Thuận Province. — Photo courtesy Aquaman Vietnam

Thanh Hà

HÀ NỘI — The second edition of the DNSE Aquaman Vietnam 2023 will be back in action this weekend where Vũ Đình Duân not only defends his title but also targets his personal best for further career development.

The tournament gathers more than 1,500 athletes who will take part in two events, running and swimming in three categories, at the NovaWorld Phan Thiết Beach, Bình Thuận Province.

In the Sprint Aqua, athletes will swim 500m and run 5km. In the Half Aqua, they will swim 1km and run 10km. And in the Aquaman, competitors will swim 2km and run 21km in individual and relay disciplines.

The organisers will also hold a tournament for children -- the Aquakid – who will swim 200m and run 1km.

Duân is set to reach his peak in the last three months of the year.

As the Aquaman 2023 is set for October 27-29, it is time for him to shine.

"I have trained hard for the whole year at all tournaments in this period," said Duân. "The championship title will be a strong push for me for further international competitions."

Nguyễn Thị Khánh Lý runs in the VnExpress Marathon Imperial Huế in April. Ly hopes to have the highest result at the Aquaman Vietnam 2023. — Photo courtesy of VM

Months prior to the event, Duân practised swimming three times per week while he focused on running which is a strong point of the famed national marathoner.

"Swimming is not my favourite. It will be difficult for me to overcome veteran competitors in this stage," said Duân, who won Việt Nam's bronze in the 32nd SEA Games' aquathlon relay.

"However, I have coach Phạm Thúy Vi to help during my preparation. Meanwhile I make the running plan for myself.

"I will spend 40 per cent of my energy for swimming, trying to maintain a narrow gap with rivals. The rest of my energy will be for the running which will help me to catch up with and pass the competition for the title.”

In the first edition of the tournament held in Móng Cái, Quảng Ninh Province, Duân was third after the swimming but he passed Võ Xuân Vĩnh in the last meters in running to finish first in a time of 1hr 59.24min.

"The recent marathons that I competed in were tests of my speed and resilience. I hope that I will run faster and better than last year," said Duân.

Duân in July won the national championship gold and set a new record of 16.43min for 500m swim and 2.5km run.

He said it would be a good basis for him to be confident at the tournament where he would face strong rivals such as national triathlon champion Lâm Quang Nhật and his runner-up Vĩnh.

As Duân plans to defend his title, Nguyễn Thị Khánh Ly expects to jump to the women's top podium after last year's second position finish.

About 1,000 athletes take part in the first edition of the Aquaman Vietnam in 2022. — Photo of Aquaman Vietnam

Ly was the best swimmer but she was left behind in the running, finishing second with a time of 2.05hr.

Preparing for the comeback, Ly swims more than 60km per month while training hard in running every day.

"This is a season of strong waves in Đà Nẵng's beach. It helps me to practise and be familiar with the competition environment and conditions," said Ly who wanted to cut her swimming time five minutes to 40min this weekend.

Children can test their swimming and running skills at the Aquakid competition. — Photo of Aquaman Vietnam

The Đà Nẵng-based athlete also took part in number of marathons to improve her running skills. After months, she made a PB of 47min in a 10km race, but still wanted to run faster.

In addition to the competitions at the two-day event, organisers also hold many sideline activities including talks with famous athletes and celebrity-competitors, and music performances. VNS