Aquathlon

National champion Vũ Đình Duân will compete in the first Aqua Warriors Hạ Long Bay, on April 14 in Quảng Ninh Province. — Photo courtesy of Đình Duân

HẠ LONG — Aqua Warriors Hạ Long Bay, the nation's largest aquathlon competition, will be held on April 14 in Quảng Ninh Province.

Some 1,500 athletes have registered to compete in the swimming and running combination event. Among them are many foreign competitors from South Korea, the US, Australia, France, India, Russia and New Zealand.

It is jointly held by the provincial People's Committee, Culture and Sports Department and Bolt Event.

At a recent meeting, the organisers promised to make the Aqua Warriors Hạ Long an annual tournament of the city, responding to the campaign "All people do exercise following the example of the great President Hồ Chí Minh" and the programme to prevent and control accidents and injuries in children for the period 2021-30 (including preventing drowning).

It is expected to contribute to promoting Quảng Ninh as a tourist destination and developing local tourism.

Athletes will compete in five categories of Aqua Warriors (3km swim,15km run), Olympic Aqua Warriors (1.5km swim, 10km run), Sprint Aqua Warriors (0.75km swim, 5km run), Junior Aqua Warriors (0.3km swim, 2km run) and Kids Aqua Warriors (0.15km swim, 1km run).

The running route has been designed around the beach road of Trần Quốc Nghiễn which will offer runners stunning views of Hạ Long Bay. The swimming will be held at Hòn Gai Beach, an area which was designed and constructed following Italian style at a cost of a VNĐ100 billion (US$4 million).

The organising committee has set up plans to have a tournament organised thoughtfully, safely and effectively, ensuring political security, social order and safety, and environmental protection.

Aquathlon development

Aquathlon is a multisport race consisting of continuous run and swim activities. Competitors complete a swim immediately followed by a run over various distances. Athletes compete for fastest overall course completion, including the time transitioning between the disciplines.

Aquathlon is one of a family of endurance based multisport races, which gained popularity from triathlon and various independent races.

Athletes will compete in swimming and running at the Aqua Warriors Hạ Long Bay. — Photo of Aquaman Vietnam

Aquathlon has been strongly practised in Việt Nam in recent years. Many groups and clubs have been established where athletes can practise and learn more about the modern sport.

Many Vietnamese professional athletes from other sports have switched to aquathlon. Among them are SEA Games bronze medallist Vũ Đình Duân and marathon champion Võ Xuân Vĩnh.

Realising its potential, Dương Đình Việt, director of Bolt Event, decided to promote the movement by organising Aqua Warriors Hạ Long Bay, one of the first aquathlon tournaments in Việt Nam.

"In recent years, running and swimming have developed very strongly. Athletes have gradually got acquainted and want to challenge themselves in multisport races," said Việt, head of the tournament organising committee.

"However, there are only a few tournaments of this type. A new event like Aqua Warriors Hạ Long Bay will attract athletes to participate."

He believed that aquathlon will develop in the long term because athletes do not have to invest much in equipment, while the competition format was also more favourable compared to other sports.

Besides, practising aquathlon helps athletes comprehensively develop physique.

"This sport requires people to have equal coordination between arms (swimming) and legs (running) to achieve high results. Aquathlon helps comprehensively develop muscle groups and train strength, speed and shape," Việt said. — VNS