The tactical brilliance in the Asian 4x400m relay gold medal.

Besides the efforts of the athletes, the victory of the Vietnamese relay team in the women's 4x400m event at this week's Asian Championships also bore the strong imprint of the coaching staff's tactics.

The Vietnamese women's 4x400m relay team celebrates their victory in the final of this event at the Asian Athletics Championships on July 16. Photo: AAC

The starting order for the 4x400m relay on July 16th was Nguyen Thi Ngoc, Hoang Thi Minh Hanh, Nguyen Thi Huyen, and Nguyen Thi Hang. The race unfolded with two unusual details. Firstly, Ngoc started first and was left far behind by athletes from Sri Lanka, India, and Japan. Secondly, the main runner, Nguyen Thi Huyen, instead of running the last heat as in many previous competitions, this time ran third.

Typically, teams submit their rosters and the running order of their athletes 90 minutes before the race. Coaches must strategize for their team while also anticipating the tactics of other teams. "Teams are too used to Huyen running last, so this time we decided to change it," Coach Vu Ngoc Loi of the 4x400m relay told VnExpress . Coach Loi is the one who discovered and mentored Huyen from her youth to her current star status.

The rules for the 4x400m relay stipulate that if there are fewer than 5 teams competing, the starting athletes only need to run a 120m curve, from grandstand A to grandstand B in the initial lane order, before they can move to lane 1 - the innermost lane. However, if there are 5 or more teams competing, as in the 4x400m final at the 2023 Asian Championships on July 16th, all athletes must run 400m + 120m before they can "change lanes".

Coach Ngoc Loi chose Nguyen Thi Ngoc to run in the first heat because her strong start was a key advantage. She was judged to have performed well, although in reality, the race showed that Ngoc was sometimes left far behind by her competitors. Former Vietnamese 400m record holder, Mr. Trinh Duc Thanh, currently Head of the Athletics Department of Ho Chi Minh City, analyzed: "It's normal for spectators to see Ngoc being left far behind at times in a relay race, because the competitors might have positioned their main runner to compete in the first heat. But relays are a team game, a game of strategic planning, so the situation can change very quickly."

The race became intense right from the second heat, when Hoang Thi Minh Hanh crossed the 120-meter mark and gradually moved into lane 1, narrowing the gap and putting pressure on her rivals. Minh Hanh's skillful maneuvering, moving from the outer lane to the innermost lane and then back out of it to hand the baton to Nguyen Thi Huyen in the third heat, heightened the drama of the race.

Vietnamese women's athletics team wins gold medal in 4x400m relay at the 2023 Asian Championships.

Vietnam won the gold medal in the women's 4x400m relay at the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships held at Suphachalasai Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand on July 16.

At the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia last May, Nguyen Thi Huyen missed out on the gold medal in her main event, the 400m race, partly because she had to run in lane 7 – the innermost lane. Coach Vu Ngoc Loi further explained: "Huyen's strength lies in her ability to accelerate past opponents in the final stretch, meaning she has the greatest advantage if she runs a reasonable distance behind her opponent and has a good view. If she runs in outer lanes like lane 7, Huyen will not be able to utilize this strength in the early stages."

Considering their recent performance, Nguyen Thi Hang and Nguyen Thi Huyen's statistics are nearly equivalent, but coach Vu Ngoc Loi believes that having Nguyen Thi Huyen run in the third heat will offer her own advantages. He also believes Minh Hanh will be able to choose the best starting position for Huyen. Furthermore, in the second and third heats, the distance covered by the athletes will increase slightly, not just the standard 400m lap. The best runners can help their team gain an advantage even in these longer distances. Most importantly, Huyen will maximize her sprinting ability, putting pressure on her competitors ahead. If competitors anticipate the greatest competitive pressure will come in the fourth heat, which Huyen usually handles, having her run in the third heat adds an element of surprise.

In reality, Coach Vu Ngoc Loi's calculations proved effective. Receiving the baton from her teammate and starting behind her two rivals, Huyen successively overtook them, leaving the Japanese runner about 10 meters behind. This created a significant advantage for Nguyen Thi Hang, who, in the final heat, accelerated strongly. Although Sri Lankan athlete Dissanayaka also increased her speed considerably towards the end, with the steady mindset of an athlete at the peak of her form, Hang maintained the advantage created by her teammates to cross the finish line with a time of 3 minutes 32 seconds 36. Sri Lanka finished second with 3 minutes 33 seconds 27, while India came in third with 3 minutes 33 seconds 73.

Nguyen Thi Huyen created an advantage of about 10 meters, allowing Nguyen Thi Hang to accelerate...

....and then finished first on the track at Suphachalasai Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand on July 16th. Photo: AAC

"A gap of 10 meters or more with competitors in the 400m race is very difficult to close. Strong mental fortitude and a very well-planned strategy helped the 4x400m relay team gain an advantage and maintain it to achieve the best possible result," said coach Le Thanh Hung, a national champion in both the 800m and 1500m races.

Coach Vu Ngoc Loi admitted that the recent gold medal in the women's 4x400m relay at the Asian Championships was one of the most emotional victories of his career. However, he also believes that this 4x400m team can further improve its performance by combining the youthful energy and maturity of its athletes.

Thai Ca

Source link: https://vnexpress.net/dau-an-chien-thuat-trong-chiec-hc-vang-4x400m-chau-a-4631977.html