National athletics team coach Tran Van Sy welcomed the participation of high-achieving foreign athletes and changes in line with international standards at VnExpress Marathon Sparkling Quy Nhon 2023.
At the race on the morning of June 11, Kenyan runner Shelith Nyawira Muriuki finished first in the women's full marathon with a time of 2 hours 47 minutes 47 seconds, similar to the top male runners. The men's 21 km race also saw Ethiopian runner Abraham Getahun finish third, after leading for most of the time.
Muriuki won the 42km female race at the VnExpress Marathon Sparkling Quy Nhon 2023 on June 11. Photo: VnExpress Marathon
According to coach Tran Van Sy, the appearance of high-achieving African athletes is a remarkable change in the VnExpress Marathon system in general and the VnExpress Marathon Sparkling Quy Nhon 2023 in particular. This will motivate elite Vietnamese runners to make more efforts in training and competing to compete.
"This year, the tournament has athletes from Kenya and Ethiopia, creating competition for domestic runners. It is a valuable opportunity to learn. Of course, every issue has two sides. Domestic amateur athletes may not be satisfied when the tournament wants to expand internationally. But if not, Vietnamese running tournaments will only see familiar domestic faces winning continuously, which can easily become boring," said the coach from Thanh Hoa.
The recent Quy Nhon race was also the first event on the VnExpress Marathon system to change the signage system. Accordingly, the writing was completely replaced by symbols. The water stations were divided into an area for elite athletes (filtered water) and a general area (electrolyte water), and the toilets were arranged right after the water stations. These changes are aimed at catching up with international standards, as recommended by the World Athletics Federation. Thanks to that, foreign athletes can easily catch up, but Vietnamese athletes need more time to get used to it.
"Regularly attending VnExpress Marathon events, I always appreciate the efforts of the organizing committee. In Quy Nhon this year, the event maintained its strong points in logistics with dedicated water and guide teams, helping athletes compete with peace of mind. I also paid attention to the way the organizers signified the instructions on the road for athletes. This is necessary to make the event more in line with international standards," Mr. Sy added.
Working in the coaching staff of the Vietnamese athletics team since 2011, Coach Tran Van Sy discovered and trained Vietnam's top runners in the middle distance such as Nguyen Thi Oanh, Nguyen Van Lai, Pham Thi Hong Le, Pham Thi Hue, Nguyen Trung Cuong, Le Tien Long, Do Quoc Luat... He contributed to helping Vietnam win 22 gold medals over seven SEA Games.
At VnExpress Marathon Sparkling Quy Nhon 2023, Coach Tran Van Sy and his 10-year-old son participated in the 10km distance. This was both a trip and an opportunity for him to guide his son step by step in a major marathon festival. Throughout the journey, the former national track and field athlete ran alongside him, cheering him on and inspiring his son to never give up.
Coach Tran Van Sy (red shirt) and his son on the VnExpress Marathon Sparkling Quy Nhon 2023 running track. Photo: VM
"We met a lot of people on the way. There were foreign athletes, professional athletes or former professional athletes in Vietnam. Some people greeted me, encouraged my child to finish the distance. The atmosphere was like a festival. I have participated in VnExpress Marathon Sparkling Quy Nhon since 2019 and have not missed any season," the coach from Thanh Hoa added.
After completing the race in Quy Nhon, Coach Tran Van Sy immediately went to Ho Chi Minh City to train with the team. He and his students are preparing for the ASIAD in September.
Quynh Chi
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