Strange Vietnamese swallow surpasses thousands of athletes, wins first stage of Viettel marathon 2024

Viettel Marathon 2024 is the race with the largest number of participants ever in Luang Prabang. Notably, the race is recognized as the first road race event in Luang Prabang with a distance of 42.195 km.

The first stage of the Viettel Marathon 2024 with the starting and finishing locations at the Luang Prabang National Museum area. On the morning of November 3, more than 5,000 athletes were present early, competing in 4 distances: marathon (42.195 km), half marathon (21.0975 km), 10 km and 5 km. The events started at 4:30, 5:00 and 5:15 respectively. In the cool, chilly weather in the early morning, the athletes impressively conquered the Viettel Marathon Luang Prabang Unitel 2024 course.

Athletes pass through beautiful locations in Luang Prabang (Laos)

Surpassing many strong opponents, Vietnamese amateur athlete and little-known athlete Le Hung Cuong unexpectedly won the men's marathon championship. After winning the championship, he said he traveled by road, going through a 30-hour journey from Vietnam to Laos to participate in the tournament.

"I knew this was the first major race organized by Vietnamese people in three Indochinese countries, so I registered to run in Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. After a 30-hour journey by road, I was quite tired but very happy to participate in the race in Laos," said Mr. Cuong.

More commendably, on the journey to conquer the 42.195 km men's championship, Le Hung Cuong faced fierce competition from two Laotian opponents. However, at the decisive moments, the Vietnamese runner fought tenaciously to reach the finish line first.

Mr. Le Hung Cuong added: "The guys ran very well and we competed with each other in the first 21 km. But then I learned that one of my opponents had a hip injury so he fell behind. From then on, I ran alone to the finish line."

Athlete Le Hung Cuong unexpectedly won the men's marathon

In the women's 42.195 km event, Laotian athlete Lodkeo Inthakounmman won impressively. The national athlete who specializes in 10 km and 21 km runs tried the marathon distance for the first time and won immediately on home soil.

Lodkeo Inthakounmman participated in the Vietnam International Half Marathon, held in Hanoi on January 1, 2024, and won 4th place in the 21 km distance. She shared: "I am very happy to run 42 km for the first time in a race in my hometown. I tried my best to overcome myself and I am very happy to win."

Lao athlete Lodkeo Inthakounmman

The Viettel Marathon 2024 series was launched with the first stage in Luang Prabang, attracting great attention from the running community in Laos. The Luang Prabang government assessed that Viettel Marathon 2024 is a big festival, becoming a source of pride for overseas Vietnamese here. In order to encourage athletes, many businesses and people have even contributed and sponsored the tournament.

After the Laos leg, the race will return to the capital Hanoi (Vietnam) on December 1 and is expected to attract around 10,000 participants. In the third leg, Siem Reap, Cambodia will host the event on December 22 at Angkor Wat, the country's famous world natural heritage complex.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/canh-en-la-nguoi-viet-vuot-qua-hang-nghin-vdv-vo-dich-chang-dau-viettel-marathon-2024-185241103175538539.htm