Vietnamese athletics faces big challenges, striving to defend Asian gold medal

The Vietnamese athletics team has been given the challenging task of successfully defending the gold medal in the women's 4x400m relay event at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships.

The athletics team has gone to Korea.

According to information from the Vietnam Athletics Federation, early in the morning of May 25, flight VN428 brought the Vietnamese athletics team to Gimhae Airport (Busan, South Korea), officially entering the journey to compete in the 26th Asian Athletics Championship, taking place from May 27 to May 31 in Gumi City. This is the highest tournament of continental athletics, held every 2 years, gathering top athletes from 45 countries and territories of Asia, a place where speed, strength, courage and pride of Asian athletics converge.

The 2025 Asian Championship is not only an opportunity for athletes to compete and improve their skills, but also an opportunity for Vietnamese athletics to affirm its position on the regional sports map and aim for bigger goals such as the 33rd SEA Games and the 2028 Paris Olympic qualifiers.

At the most recent tournament in 2023, the Vietnamese athletics team won the gold medal in the women's 4x400m relay and this year aims to defend this title.

Vietnam women's 4x400m relay team is the reigning Asian champion

Photo: ACC

Quach Thi Lan (left) is expected to shine with the women's 4x400m relay team at the continental arena.

PHOTO: KHA HOA

Compared to the personnel 2 years ago, the Vietnamese women's 4x400m relay team changed 1 position when Quach Thi Lan replaced SEA Games champion Nguyen Thi Huyen (retired). The remaining 3 faces include Nguyen Thi Ngoc, Nguyen Thi Hang, Hoang Thi Minh Hanh. This lineup has proven its quality with the gold medal at the 2024 Asian Relay Championship. Quach Thi Lan, an important factor of the Vietnamese team, has become a formidable runner in the continental arena when she won the gold medal twice in the 400m and 400m hurdles events. The 29-year-old girl from Thanh Hoa shared: "In the past time, we have trained very hard. We are all determined to defend the Asian gold medal. I myself have constantly improved my physical strength and competition mentality to be in the best condition, contributing with my teammates to achieve the desired performance parameters".

At the 2023 Asian Athletics Championship in Thailand, the Vietnamese girls won the gold medal in the women's 4x400m event with a time of 3 minutes 32 seconds 36. At the 2024 Asian Relay Championship, also in Thailand, the Vietnamese athletics relay team won the gold medal with a better time of 3 minutes 30 seconds 81.

Vietnam athletics team including 7 coaches and 17 athletes went to Korea

In addition to the number 1 hope in the women's 4x400m relay, the Vietnamese athletics team also has high hopes for the "golden girl" Nguyen Thi Oanh in the 1,500m and 3,000m hurdles. Having won many SEA Games gold medals, Nguyen Thi Oanh has not been able to touch the continental medal. Recently, she has not participated in domestic and international competitions but has focused on training with high intensity to conquer this Asian tournament. She hopes to achieve the best performance parameters, possibly surprising her opponents. Another face that is also of interest is "speed queen" Tran Thi Nhi Yen. This 20-year-old runner is expected to improve her performance in the 100m and 200m distances.

In 2025, the Vietnamese athletics team will focus on the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand with the main faces still being Nguyen Thi Oanh and Quach Thi Lan.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/dien-kinh-viet-nam-duong-dau-thu-thach-lon-no-luc-bao-ve-hcv-chau-a-185250519221423896.htm