The 21km race at Hanoi Midnight 2023 was more exciting than ever.

VnExpress•29/11/2023

Four athletes competing in the men's and women's 21km races vied with each other from the start to the final meters, creating a thrilling chase on the morning of November 26th.

While in the full marathon, both Nguyen Van Lai and Pham Thi Hong Le ran alone from start to finish, the half marathon offered much more suspense for the viewers. The male and female champions in this distance only emerged in the final 100 meters. The difference between the first and second place finishers was only a few seconds.

In the men's race, Nguyen Trung Cuong and Ha Van Nhat started quite comfortably. In the first half of the 21km race, the two athletes chatted and joked around as they ran, as they were close friends on the national athletics team.

Upon reaching the Vinh Tuy Bridge, the race between the two became more intense. Trung Cuong began to accelerate, widening the gap between them. Ha Van Nhat, behind him, also exerted himself, determined to keep Cuong within sight. After the bridge, Nhat closed the gap, running right behind his opponent. The two athletes continued side-by-side on the next leg until they reached the Long Bien Bridge.

Nguyen Trung Cuong (in the blue shirt) and Ha Van Nhat (in the white shirt) walked side-by-side for 21km. Photo: VM

In the final 2km, as the athlete turned towards O Quan Chuong, Nguyen Trung Cuong once again attempted to accelerate, leaving Ha Van Nhat behind. With about 800m to the finish line, Nhat overtook him from behind. The turning point came at the final bend, when the athlete turned left from Hai Ba Trung onto Hang Bai street. Trung Cuong made an impressive sprint to the finish, coming in first with a time of 1 hour 16 minutes and 37 seconds, exactly 5 seconds faster than Ha Van Nhat.

"We trained together on the national team, so we understand each other's strengths very well. Before the tournament, the two of us decided we would only 'clash' in the final stretch. Whoever had the energy left would be crowned champion," Nguyen Trung Cuong said after crossing the finish line.

Ha Van Nhat said he wasn't aiming for the championship and was satisfied with the result. The athlete from Thanh Hoa smiled brightly when receiving the medal. Nhat and Cuong have been running together for a long time, and they have taken turns winning many championships, so their achievements at amateur races are a reward for their hard training with the national team. The Hanoi Midnight race on November 26th was also his birthday. He plans to use the prize money to treat his friends.

Nguyen Trung Cuong's finishing moment. Photo: VM

The scenario in the women's race between Bui Thu Ha and Doan Thu Hang unfolded similarly. Thu Ha took the lead right from the start. Thu Hang, close behind, showed no signs of being outdone, constantly keeping pace with her opponent, only a few strides behind. The two girls from the national sports training center outperformed the other female athletes. In fact, along the course, they consistently overtook their male counterparts. As a result, Thu Ha finished in 1 hour, 18 minutes, and 57 seconds, 8 seconds faster than her sister Thu Hang.

Thu Ha said that winning was partly due to adhering to the strategy she had set out from the beginning. "Because it was my first night race, before the race, I planned to run the first 10km at a pace of 3:50, and then increase the speed for the next 11km if I felt well," Ha said.

Thu Hang (Bib 80033) and Thu Ha (in the black shirt, running ahead) chase each other on the road. Photo: VM

For Thu Hang, the goal was to experience Hanoi at night, so finishing behind her younger sister Thu Ha didn't upset her. "I regretted missing the night race last year. So this year I registered for the race with the mindset of just having fun, so this result is still good," Thu Hang shared.

Another equally intense race took place between 10km champion Nguyen Kim Bao Ngoc and runner-up Kenji Oyama. Although Bao Ngoc lost his advantage due to a wrong turn in the final 200 meters, his youth and experience allowed him to overtake his Japanese opponent just before the finish line. As a result, Ngoc finished in 35 minutes and 27 seconds, just 3 seconds faster than the runner-up.

In the women's event, Pham Thi Hue finished first in the 10km race. SEA Games champion Luong Duc Phuoc and female athlete Nguyen Thi Chuyen were the top performers in the 5km race.

Thanh Lan

Source link