Vietnamese runner wins 2 SEA Games gold medals in events scheduled minutes apart
Tuesday, May 09, 2023, 19:29 GMT+7
Vietnamese runner Nguyen Thi Oanh made history with two gold medals in women’s 1,500-meter run and 3,000-meter hurdles, two events that were scheduled next to each other at the ongoing 2023 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Cambodia on Tuesday afternoon.
Oanh overcame her schedule challenge and showcased an extraordinary performance by finishing first in both of the 1,500-meter run in four minutes and 16.58 seconds and the 3,000-meter hurdles in ten minutes and 34.39 seconds.
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| Vietnamese runner Nguyen Thi Oanh (No. 561) competes in women’s 1,500-meter run at the 2023 Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia, May 9, 2023. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre |
Noticeably, the gold medal defendant, who is holding the SEA Games record in 3,000-meter hurdles, only had a ten-minute break between the two events.
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| Vietnamese runner Nguyen Thi Oanh finishes first in women’s 1,500-meter run at the 2023 Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia, May 9, 2023. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre |
Oanh registered for a total of four events at the tournament, including the 5,000-meter run at 5:35 pm on Monday, 3,000-meter hurdles at 5:50 pm on Tuesday, 1,500-meter event at 4:30 pm on Thursday, and 10,000-meter category at 5:00 pm on Friday.
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| Vietnamese runner Nguyen Thi Oanh (No. 561) has ice bags applied on her body after winning the women’s 1,500-meter gold medal at the 2023 Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia, May 9, 2023. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre |
On the first day, she easily won the 5,000-meter gold medal in a time of 17 minutes and 0.33 seconds.
However, on Tuesday morning, the Vietnamese runner received a schedule change from the organizers, who put the 1,500-meter run and 3,000-meter hurdles side by side.
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| Vietnamese runner Nguyen Thi Oanh competes in women’s 3,000-meter hurdles at the 2023 Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia, May 9, 2023. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre |
Consequently, Oanh had to compete in the 1,500-meter run at 5:35 pm and the 3,000-meter hurdles at 5:50 pm on Tuesday.
Although her stamina was evidently affected by the short recovery time after the first race, she still successfully demonstrated her sprinting ability in the latter event, creating an exceptional feat of two gold medals in about 30 minutes that would challenge any top international runner.
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| Vietnamese runner Nguyen Thi Oanh competes in women’s 3,000-meter hurdles at the 2023 Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia, May 9, 2023. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre |
Oanh’s two gold medals were among seven others achieved by Vietnamese athletes on Tuesday, along with seven silver medals and six bronze medals.
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| Vietnamese runner Nguyen Thi Oanh finishes first in women’s 3,000-meter hurdles at the 2023 Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia, May 9, 2023. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre |
These achievements sent Vietnam to the top of the medal tally with 39 gold, 39 silver, and 46 bronze medals as of 7:30 pm on Tuesday.
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| Vietnamese runner Nguyen Thi Oanh reacts after finishing first in women’s 3,000-meter hurdles at the 2023 Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia, May 9, 2023. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre |
Host Cambodia was in second with 39 gold, 38 silver, and 39 bronze medals, followed by Thailand with 39 gold, 29 silver, and 43 bronze medals.
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| Vietnamese runner Nguyen Thi Oanh wears the national flag after women’s events at the 2023 Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia, May 9, 2023. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre |
The 2023 Southeast Asian Games is currently taking place in Cambodia’s Phnom Penh, Siem Reap Province, Preah Sihanouk Province, Kampot Province, and Kep Province until May 17.
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| Vietnamese runner Nguyen Thi Oanh (L) smiles while wearing the national flag with a teammate after women’s events at the 2023 Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia, May 9, 2023. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre |
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