'To compete for the 33rd SEA Games Gold Medal, the marathon distance needs to improve its performance'

“This is an important tournament to prepare for the 33rd SEA Games (Thailand). The peak performance of the athletes is determined to be aimed at the Games at the end of this year. In addition, some other reasons may also cause the athletes’ achievements to not be really good,” said Mr. Nguyen Manh Hung.

In the race that took place this morning in Dong Ha (Quang Tri), Hoang Thi Ngoc Hoa and Hoang Nguyen Thanh successfully defended their full-marathon championship titles with times of 2 hours 42 minutes 09 and 2 hours 32 minutes 23 respectively. According to Mr. Nguyen Manh Hung, to compete for the SEA Games Gold Medal, the men's distance needs to be under 2 hours 18 minutes and the women's distance must be under 2 hours 37 minutes.

General Secretary of Vietnam Athletics Federation Nguyen Manh Hung: 'The race at SEA Games 33 in Thailand will be very fierce'.

“Today is not too cold, the ideal temperature for a marathon is 12 degrees Celsius. However, it could be due to the sudden change in weather, from sunny to cold rain, so the athletes did not have time to adapt. In addition, in cases like Hoang Nguyen Thanh, he only broke away in the final stages, partly because he had no competitors, so his professional achievements were not high," said Mr. Nguyen Manh Hung.

According to Mr. Nguyen Manh Hung, Nguyen Thi Oanh (women's 5km champion) will still be an important "card" at the upcoming 33rd SEA Games. The race will be extremely fierce for Vietnamese athletics as Thailand holds the home advantage and is currently achieving better results. The Athletics Team's coaching staff will therefore have to have reasonable tactics to ensure the athletes' chances of competing for medals.

Regarding the preparation work of the host Quang Tri, Mr. Nguyen Manh Hung assessed that despite difficulties in roads and facilities for the tournament, the local departments and branches of Quang Tri province have taken action and coordinated very well with the tournament organizing committee. The two important aspects of health and security have been well ensured by the local authorities, thanks to which the tournament was successful.

Nguyen Thi Oanh will still be an important 'card' of Vietnamese athletics at SEA Games 33 (Thailand)

“Besides the expertise, the tournament contributes to spreading the image of Quang Tri associated with famous landmarks, relics, beautiful scenery as well as the hospitality of the people. In this aspect, I consider the tournament to be truly successful," said General Secretary Nguyen Manh Hung.

Little Phung

Source: https://tienphong.vn/muon-tranh-huy-chuong-vang-sea-games-33-cu-ly-marathon-can-cai-thien-them-thanh-tich-post1729499.tpo