Nguyen Thi Oanh: "I am striving to surpass Huyen's gold medal record."

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - Finishing first in the women's 5,000m race to win the first gold medal at the 33rd SEA Games, and the 13th gold medal across all SEA Games, Nguyen Thi Oanh has equaled Nguyen Thi Huyen's record for the most gold medals.

Nguyen Thi Oanh gives an interview after winning the gold medal in the women's 5,000m race.

The record of 13 gold medals in athletics was set by Nguyen Thi Huyen at the 32nd SEA Games two years ago in Cambodia. At the very next SEA Games, the 33rd SEA Games currently taking place in Thailand, another Vietnamese athlete has reached this milestone.

Tonight (December 13th), Nguyen Thi Oanh finished first in the women's 5,000m final. With this victory, she has now won a total of 13 gold medals across the SEA Games.

Nguyen Thi Oanh won the gold medal in the women's 5,000m race (Photo: Manh Quan).

After crossing the finish line first, Nguyen Thi Oanh said: “I am very happy to have successfully defended my gold medal in the women's 5,000m race. This was my first event at the SEA Games 33. I hope I will maintain this spirit and physical condition to compete in the following events.”

“Just like at the 32nd SEA Games, at this SEA Games, I am striving to win gold medals in all the events I participate in. I hope everyone will continue to look forward to and cheer me on. When competing, I can clearly hear the shouts of my name and the chants of 'Vietnam,' and I appreciate and am grateful for that support,” Nguyen Thi Oanh added.

In the women's 5,000m final, the Vietnamese team had two athletes participating, with Nguyen Thi Oanh and Le Thi Tuyet winning the gold and silver medals respectively.

These two petite but talented girls took turns leading, leaving the rest of the competition far behind. Nguyen Thi Oanh said of her amazing teammate: "There were times on the track when Le Thi Tuyet was ahead of me, and those were all strategic calculations by the whole team."

Nguyen Thi Oanh won her 13th gold medal at the SEA Games (Photo: Manh Quan).

“The Vietnamese athletics team has two athletes competing in the 5,000m race. These two need to employ strategies to support each other on the track. Both of us share the same goal: to bring the best possible result to the Vietnamese delegation.”

"When we compete, we'll adapt to the situation, but the common goal is for both of us to succeed," Nguyen Thi Oanh revealed.

With 13 gold medals, Nguyen Thi Oanh has matched Nguyen Thi Huyen's achievement at the SEA Games. The opportunity for Nguyen Thi Oanh to surpass this achievement is significant, as she is still competing, while Nguyen Thi Huyen has retired.

Nguyen Thi Oanh spoke about the new milestones she can reach: “As athletes, we always have goals and always strive for even better results. I myself am working hard to achieve these goals in the events I will compete in. I hope that luck will continue to smile upon me.”

Nguyen Thi Oanh won the gold medal in the 5,000m race at the 33rd SEA Games.

I also hope that all Vietnamese athletes will achieve success in the coming days. Let's work together to contribute to athletics in particular and the Vietnamese sports delegation in general.

"Whether I can break my personal best and the Games' records still depends on many factors. I will do my best to fulfill my nhiệm vụ at this SEA Games," Nguyen Thi Oanh affirmed.

Watch SEA Games 33, stand alongside the Vietnamese Sports Delegation, in its entirety onFPT Play, at: http://fptplay.vn

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/nguyen-thi-oanh-toi-phan-dau-vuot-qua-ky-luc-hcv-cua-chi-huyen-20251213200918761.htm