After competing in the 1,500m event yesterday (October 1) without a medal, Nguyen Thi Oanh entered the final of the second event at the 19th ASIAD - the 3,000m steeplechase. The runner born in 1993 won a bronze medal at the 18th ASIAD 5 years ago, however, defending her position in the top 3 this time is a very difficult challenge.
Among the athletes competing in the 3,000m steeplechase at the 18th ASIAD, only Nguyen Thi Oanh, Yavi Winfred Mutile (Bahrain) and Zhang Xinyan (China) are still in the finals tonight. Of these, Yavi Winfred is the number one candidate for the gold medal.
Yavi Winfred Mutile is world number 1 in the women's 3,000 metres.
Yavi Winfred Mutile is originally from Kenya, a country that has produced many excellent middle and long-distance runners. She became a Bahraini citizen at the age of 15 and began competing internationally for Bahrain at the age of 17. Yavi Winfred currently tops the IAAF 3,000-meter steeplechase rankings.
The athlete born in 1999 has a huge list of achievements with a gold medal at the 2023 World Championship, first place at the 2023 Diamond League, gold medal at the 18th ASIAD, and gold medal at the 2018 Asian Championship. In the 1,500 meter final that took place last night (October 1), she was also the first place winner, while Nguyen Thi Oanh was only ranked 7th.
Yavi Winfred is also the Asian record holder in the 3,000m steeplechase. Notably, this achievement was set in September 2023, about 2 weeks before the 19th Asian Games.
Besides Yavi Winfred, Nguyen Thi Oanh's other competitors are also very formidable. The group of athletes with records running from 9 minutes to 9 minutes 20 seconds are Zhang Xinyan (China), Chaudhary Parul (India), Jepkemei Daisy (Kazakhstan), Mekonen Tigest Getent (Bahrain).
Meanwhile, Nguyen Thi Oanh's best time in 2023 was 10 minutes 9.62 seconds. In her career, her best result in international competitions was 9 minutes 43.83. This is only a modest number compared to the above competitors.
This means, Nguyen Thi Oanh must compete brilliantly as well as have a little luck to win a medal in the 3,000 meter steeplechase tonight.
Van Hai
Source
Comment (0)