Exiting Southeast Asia
The 33rd SEA Games athletics competition kicked off in Bangkok (Thailand). On the very first day of the competition, the Vietnam Athletics Team won 2 Gold Medals. The goal of the Vietnam Athletics Team is to strive to achieve 12 to 14 Gold Medals at the 33rd SEA Games.
The leader of the Vietnam Athletics Team - Mr. Nguyen Duc Nguyen shared on the competition field in Bangkok (Thailand): "The competition schedule for the sport of athletics has been specifically determined. The athletics team clearly identified 50 athletes in each group of events and we had the opportunity to compete for Gold Medals. However, every day the team will learn from experience after competition to prepare best". The target number of 12 to 14 Gold Medals is determined to be not small. However, the professional content groups are confident in the opportunity to surpass the threshold of the players to complete the set targets.
At the 32nd SEA Games, we won 12 Gold Medals. In particular, many indicators have reached the Asian medal challenge opportunities in the women's 4x400m and women's 400m hurdles. The venue for the 33rd SEA Games athletics is Supachalasai National Stadium (Thailand).
The Vietnamese athletics team has won the Asian Gold Medal in the last 2 times here. We won the women's 4x400m relay event at the 2023 Asian Championship. Next, the athletes won the Gold Medal in this event at the first Asian Support Championship 2024. This is the fate for the Vietnam Athletics Team to continue to exceed the target at this 33rd SEA Games.
Steps to ASIAD success
After winning the Gold Medal in the women's 400m event at the 22nd SEA Games in 2003, athlete Nguyen Thi Tinh was invited by Asian Athletics to participate in the Asian women's 4x400m relay team to participate in the international tournament at that time. After her, the two athletes Truong Thanh Hang (1 500m, 800m) and Vu Thi Huong (100m, 200m) after winning the Gold Medal at the SEA Games also continued to win medals at the 2010 ASIAD arena.
The most recent person to win a Gold Medal at the ASIAD arena and also in the squad participating in the 33rd SEA Games is athlete Quach Thi Lan. She won the Gold Medal in the 400m hurdles at the 2018 ASIAD.
Examples show that Vietnam's athletics still determines the opportunities to reach the ASIAD arena after success from the SEA Games. With the 33rd SEA Games, the Vietnam Athletics Team will introduce a new generation of athletes with youth, qualifications and many professional potentials such as Ta Ngoc Tuong, Duong Thi Thao, Nguyen Khanh Linh, Ho Trong Manh Hung, Le Thi Tuyet Mai, Le Quoc Huy, Ha Thi Thuy Hang...
Athletics expert Duong Duc Thuy (former Head of Athletics, General Department of Physical Education and Sports) once analyzed: "We are professionals, so we have to build a force roadmap according to cycles. We do not let the stage be shortened. And when there are potential faces, training to create conditions for competition is the most effective way to invest for young athletes".
Vietnam Athletics has completed and begun implementing the Vietnam Athletics Development Project to 2030 and orientation to 2045. The specific goal for Vietnam's athletics is to maintain stability in the group of 2 leading countries in Southeast Asia and in the top 10 in Asia until 2035.
By 2045, Vietnam's athletics will be among the top 5 countries in Asia. Therefore, the 33rd SEA Games is considered an important stepping stone to start implementing this Project.
