Marathon

Hoàng Nguyên Thanh won his fifth national championship title at the Tiền Phong Marathon 2024 on March 31 in Phú Yên Province. — Photos of organisers

PHÚ YÊN — Hoàng Nguyên Thanh lengthened his domination while Hoàng Thị Ngọc Hoa took her title back at the National Marathon Championship – Tiền Phong Newspaper 2024 on Sunday in Phú Yên Province.

Thanh from Bình Phước finished the men's 42km elite category in a time of 2h 26.05min, leaving his closest rivals Nguyễn Văn Lai of the Military (2:27.10) and Phạm Ngọc Phan of Bình Thuận (2:28.08) a long way behind.

It was his fifth win in a row at the national championship and he set a new tournament record, running almost 10min faster than last year in Lai Châu Province.

"I prepared carefully for the tournament for a long time and I have made a great effort through my race to win today," Thanh said.

On the women's side, reigning champion Lê Thị Tuyết received strong support from home fans and she also quickly took the lead.

Former champion and last year's runner-up, Hoa caught up with and ran along with Tuyết for most of the distance.

In the last 2km, 19-year-old Tuyết sprinted and set up a 300m gap with Hoa but she ran with a hand holding her stomach.

In the last 300m, Hoa made an incredible sprint and passed Tuyết to finish first in a time of 2:51.29, taking the second gold for Bình Phước.

Tuyết finished 18sec later and Nguyễn Thị Thúy Vân of Khánh Hòa finished third with a time of 2:56:04.

Coach Nguyễn Tuấn Anh said Tuyết was hospitalised after she crossed the finish line because of a serious stomachache that happened in the last kilometres. Luckily, she did not meet with any problems and left the hospital.

He said it was the main reason that prevented Tuyết from defending her title.

Nguyễn Đức Nguyên, an official of the Sports Authority of Việt Nam, said the race between Hoa and Tuyết was tough. It made the Tiền Phong Marathon more attractive and competitive.

Hoàng Thị Ngọc Hoa crosses the finish line after her strong sprint in the last 200 metres.

Hoa is in good form after setting the national record at the Asian championship in January. The national championship gold medal winner deserved the victory, he said.

In the 21km classes, Phạm Thị Hồng Lệ topped the women's category while Nguyễn Trung Cường won the men's.

Former national team runner Lệ of Bình Định ran ahead to take the lead from the beginning. She was out in front on her own to the finish to take her third win clocking 1:19.24.

Meanwhile, Cường of Hà Tĩnh separated from chaser Nguyễn Quốc Anh of the Military in the last kilometres to win, saying it was a present for his daughter who celebrated her third birthday on March 31.

In other categories, veterans Nguyễn Thị Oanh and Đỗ Quốc Luật both set new records in the women's 5km elite and men's 10km elite.

Oanh of Bắc Giang had no worthy rivals in her category as usual. She was alone in the lead position in all time of the race before winning with a time of 16.44min.

It was her eighth championship title which was a record of the tournament.

Luật of the Military took his 10th win in a row, making him a legend of the championship. 

At the halfway stage, Luật had created a big gap with other runners including national team members Lương Đức Phước and Trịnh Quốc Lượng and rising star Đào Minh Thiện.

He won the race after 31.11min.

"I have been in Phú Yên early to prepare for the championship. I am happy that my effort and hard work brought a sweet result," said the 31-year-old who suffered a twisted ankle just 100m from the start.

"I am proud that I not only defended my title but also set a new record. I hope that my 10-win series will be a positive message to young people that training regularly would help improve their health and contribute to the development of the society."

The organisers also presented awards to winners of categories for amateur runners.

The next championship will be held in Quảng Trị Province. — VNS