Runner Nguyen Thi Oanh is now in Hungary serving as the only Vietnamese athlete to compete in the 2023 World Athletics Championships, slated for August 19 to 27.

The International Association of Athletics Federations, the organizer of the 2023 World Athletics Championships, offered a spot in the competition to Vietnam though no Vietnamese athletes met this year’s qualification criteria.

Oanh, one of the country’s most decorated runners, will compete in women's 1,500m hurdle, which will commence on Saturday (local time).

Also competing in the women's 1,500m hurdle event will be 58 other runners, including Kenyan athlete Faith Kipyegon, the current Olympic and World Athletics Championships champion.

The category will serve as a great opportunity for Oanh to gain experience and prepare for the 19th Asian Games (ASIAD) set for next month in China.

At the 2023 Southeast Asian Games held in Cambodia in May, Oanh claimed a combined four gold medals in the 1,500m, 3,000m, 5,000m, and 10,000m women’s hurdling events.

She made history at the Games when she became the first athlete to secure gold medals in both the 1,500m and 3,000m women’s distances in about 30 minutes.

However, at the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships hosted by Thailand from July 12 to 16, she bagged no medals.

The World Athletics Championships this year, taking place in Budapest, Hungary, will attract over 2,000 runners from some 200 countries and territories.

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