Journey of a “warrior”

These are the shared lines of athlete Do Quoc Luat during his 11th participation in the 66th Tien Phong Newspaper National Marathon and Long Distance Championship, which recently took place in Dong Ha city (Quang Tri).

The special number 10 shirt

As expected by experts, the Army team continued to successfully defend its championship title, and this was also the 11th consecutive time that Quoc Luat dominated the men's 10km distance. "Eleven years is not just a number, but a lifetime lived in every step" - Do Quoc Luat was moved.

Do Quoc Luat perseveres on his journey at Tien Phong Marathon

The heroic land of Quang Tri is associated with the tradition of the Vietnamese people fighting against invaders to protect the country. The victory is even more meaningful to Do Quoc Luat, as his uncle heroically sacrificed his life in the resistance war against the US, contributing to the cause of national unification. The Hien Luong Bridge across Ben Hai has become a symbol of the desire to connect the Fatherland.

Few people know that behind the glory of victory, Do Quoc Luat has gone through harsh challenges for himself. Prolonged injuries, having to seek treatment everywhere without success, hours of struggling with himself, at times he thought he had given up.

In 2024, at the 65th Tien Phong Marathon (Phu Yen), Do Quoc Luat had the intention of dropping out of the race to focus on treatment. But then the will and courage of a "warrior" helped Do Quoc Luat bounce back. The strong mark Do Quoc Luat left in the race that year was the sprint to the finish line, wearing a shirt with the number 10 on his chest and the number 143. That was the image of the train with the number 143, evoking memories of the numberless train of the Ho Chi Minh Trail at sea. The number 10 was Do Quoc Luat's goal and aspiration.

“When I wore it, the shirt gave me a lot of strength and motivation, as well as the belief that I would overcome the challenge,” Do Quoc Luat shared.

Have fun with the next generation

After the Lunar New Year 2024, Do Quoc Luat was sent to Quang Tri for training 1.5 months in advance. Thanks to that, he got used to the weather conditions and running routes. The Army athlete only encountered difficulties when he had not fully recovered from his injury at the National Championship in Dong Nai. But once again, his will won.

With 11 championships in the men's 10km race, Do Quoc Luat set a record that few athletes could keep up with on the Tien Phong Marathon track. He accelerated in the final steps and finished in 30 minutes and 44 seconds, 28 seconds faster than the previous record. When he reached the finish line, Do Quoc Luat stopped to salute the flag.

In the men's 10km category, Luong Duc Phuoc finished behind with a time of 31 minutes 5 seconds and Nguyen Quoc Anh - 31 minutes 13 seconds. In the youth 10km category, two athletes Nguyen Viet Ai and Duong Minh Hung finished with times of 31 minutes 4 seconds and 31 minutes 1 second respectively, not significantly behind Quoc Luat's achievement. He said he was very happy to have the next generation of juniors behind him, with great potential to break through and reach the heights of the previous generation.

Source: https://tienphong.vn/hanh-trinh-cua-mot-chien-binh-post1729860.tpo