Nguyễn Thị Oanh wins her fourth VIHM title on January 1 in Hà Nội. — Photos courtesy of Vietcontent

HÀ NỘI — Nguyễn Thị Oanh and Hoàng Nguyên Thanh stamped their authority as Việt Nam’s strongest runners by winning the first tournament of the year on January 1 in Hà Nội.

Oanh defended her top spot in the Việt Nam International Half Marathon's (VIHM) women’s 21km category in a time of 1hr 16.37min. It was her fourth victory in this event since its first edition in 2023.

"It is great to share the new year celebration with many people on the route. It is much more exciting that I win the tournament for the fourth time," said Oanh.

"It is a lucky sign for me to begin 2026 with a victory. I hope that I will have a good year to come, doing everything better and making a breakthrough.

"This year's route has been changed a lot compared with the previous one, as the organisers led us out of the city centre, where we had to pass really challenging bridges. However, I believe all 7,000 runners shared a vibrant and inspiring atmosphere on the first day of the year and ran well."

Finishing in second, young marathoner Lê Thị Lam set her personal best of 1:18.22. She was followed by Nguyễn Khánh Ly, who crossed the line after 1:21.31.

Hoàng Nguyên Thanh celebrates when he crosses the finish line.

The men’s event featured a three-way battle between national No.1 Hoàng Nguyên Thanh, SEA Games champion Nguyễn Trung Cường and Kenyan Edwin Kiptoo, who has become widely known in Việt Nam after dominating many events.

After taking turns at the lead in the first half of the race, it was Thanh who launched a strong sprint to leave his rivals behind, finishing in 1:07.42 and marking an impressive return to the event following his absence last year.

Cường and Kiptoo finished second and third, respectively, clocking 1:11.06.

Tòng Văn Hoàn and Bùi Thu Hằng were winners of the men’s and women’s 10km category.

Lương Đức Phước and Bùi Thị Thu Hà, both 33rd SEA Games medallists, won the men’s and women’s 5km races. — VNS

Top five runners of the women's 21km receive their bonuses of the fourth VIHM.