Team ensures expertise
At the end of the Viettel Marathon 2024 Cambodia leg (closing on December 22), Nguyen Van Lai and Pham Thi Hong Le won the marathon - 42km for men and women. They are professional athletes, specializing in the marathon - 42km. However, the two athletes are no longer members of the Vietnam athletics team.
In the recent Cambodia leg, the runners in the 42km marathon category of the Vietnam Athletics Team, Le Thi Tuyet, Hoang Thi Ngoc Hoa and Hoang Nguyen Thanh, did not participate.
Based on actual capacity, the Vietnam Athletics Team Coaching Board recognizes that this is still a key group of athletes and we continue to focus on preparing for many important tournaments in 2025. This year, at the 2024 National Marathon Championship (competing in March 2024), the champion of the men's marathon - 42km is Hoang Nguyen Thanh and the champion of the women's marathon - 42km is Hoang Thi Ngoc Hoa.
Hoang Nguyen Thanh currently holds the national record for the above event (time 2 hours 18 minutes 43 seconds) and is the number 1 runner in Vietnam on the marathon track - 42km, so professional preparation for 2025 is not too worrying.
In the women's team, Vietnam Athletics has recorded four people with the best abilities: Nguyen Thi Oanh, Hoang Thi Ngoc Hoa, Le Thi Tuyet and Bui Thi Thu Ha. Of which, Nguyen Thi Oanh is focused on the field's strong content group. Therefore, Ngoc Hoa, Le Thi Tuyet, Thu Ha will be the faces to take on the responsibility of achieving professional achievements for the marathon - 42km content group next year.
Which goal is most important?
“In 2025, we will focus on international competitions, but most importantly, the team must aim to achieve results at the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand. The marathon is a difficult event to compete for medals, but we will prepare carefully,” said Mr. Nguyen Manh Hung, General Secretary of the Vietnam Athletics Federation.
Viettel Marathon 2024 is organized by Vietnam Athletics Federation, Lao Athletics Federation, and Cambodian Athletics Federation.
The track is recognized by the Asian Athletics Association (AAA) as meeting the standards. Vietnamese athletes participating in the tournament are allowed to compete in stages and achieve professional results. However, the coaching staff expects the athletes to adapt to the track because of the goal of the 33rd SEA Games.
In 2023, we will attend the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia, but Hoang Nguyen Thanh and Le Thi Tuyet will not win the Gold Medal in the marathon - 42km. From the above failure, the long-distance and marathon teams of Vietnam Athletics must develop a target plan for each athlete in 2025.
A representative of the Vietnam Athletics Federation's professional board said that in 2025, athletes will be able to choose suitable competitions that have positive professional development factors instead of participating in too many amateur marathon competitions. The goal of Vietnam's athletics is to win the Gold Medal in the 42km marathon at the 33rd SEA Games. Currently, the Vietnam Athletics Team is making a list of athletes for professional training in 2025.
In fact, the athletes of the Vietnam Athletics Team have been participating in many domestic amateur marathons to improve their skills and earn income. However, high-performance athletes are almost absent from international professional marathons outside of Vietnam.
After many years of absence, this year, Vietnamese athletics sent Hoang Nguyen Thanh and Hoang Thi Ngoc Hoa to compete in the 2024 Asian Marathon Championship (January 2024). The two runners achieved positive results, breaking the national record based on professional indicators at this tournament.
In 2025, Vietnamese athletics is expected to continue participating in the Asian Marathon Championship (scheduled to be held in China, March 2025). To focus on the 33rd SEA Games and the continental marathon championship, preparations must be made right now.
