According to Nguyen Thi Huyen, the failure in the 400m hurdles motivated her to compete explosively, contributing to winning the gold medal in the 4x400m relay at the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships.
On July 15, Nguyen Thi Huyen finished fifth in the women's 400m hurdles with a time of 58.36 seconds, while the gold medal went to Robyn Brown (Philippines, 57.50 seconds). The 30-year-old runner admitted that she did not compete at her full potential, regretting that Brown was her defeated opponent at the 32nd SEA Games. At that time, Huyen finished first with a time of 56.29 seconds, 22% more than Brown.
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Nguyen Thi Huyen, Nguyen Thi Ngoc, Nguyen Thi Hang and Hoang Thi Minh Hanh (from left to right) after winning at Suphachalasai National Stadium, Bangkok on July 16. |
A day later, Huyen regained her spirit and, together with three juniors Nguyen Thi Ngoc, Nguyen Thi Hang and Hoang Thi Minh Hanh, won the gold medal in the 4x400m relay with a time of 3 minutes 32 seconds 36 at Suphachalasai National Stadium. The athlete from Nam Dinh said: "I have been running for nearly 20 years, so I don't feel psychological pressure because of failure. After each bad race, I push myself to do better in the next part."
Two months ago, Huyen and these three teammates competed together for the first time at the 32nd SEA Games, and won the gold medal with a time of 3 minutes 33 seconds 05. In the group, Huyen and Hang (26 years old) have experience competing internationally, while Hanh (24 years old) and Ngoc (21 years old) are participating in the Asian tournament for the first time. However, there is no big difference between the individuals. According to Huyen, although Ngoc and Hanh are the youngest, they are very brave and compete fiercely from the beginning, creating momentum for her and Hang to break away.
Compared to SEA Games 32, the coaching board made an adjustment when they arranged for Hang to replace Huyen in the last round. Meanwhile, Ngoc ran the first round and competed with the best runners from Sri Lanka, Japan, and India. The fact that Ngoc was left far behind was not beyond the coaching board's calculations. With her impressive short-distance acceleration, Hanh narrowed the gap. Huyen then made a decisive sprint in the third round, allowing Hang to maintain the gap and finish first.
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Unlike the 32nd SEA Games, at the 2023 Asian Athletics Championship, Nguyen Thi Huyen (back) ran third, while Nguyen Thi Hang (front) competed in the last round. |
"The coaches want to surprise the opponents," Hang said. "Usually, I run in the middle, but the coaches want me to test my mental strength in the final leg when competing with Asian opponents."
Vietnam won a gold medal in this event at the 2017 Asian Athletics Championships, but with a worse result (3 minutes 33 seconds 22). At that time, Huyen was not married, had no children and fought alongside other teammates. Now, Nguyen Thi Oanh has retired, while Quach Thi Lan and Hoang Thi Ngoc are banned from competing for doping at the 31st SEA Games.
The achievement at the Asian Athletic Championship AAC 2023 is a positive step for the four girls towards the 19th ASIAD in China. In the previous tournament, Nguyen Thi Huyen, Nguyen Thi Hang, Hoang Thi Ngoc and Quach Thi Lan won the bronze medal with a time of 3 minutes 33 seconds 23. If they maintain the same form as the tournament in Thailand, Vietnam's chance of repeating the achievement is highly appreciated. However, the team still has to be cautious because Bahrain, India and China are said to have not deployed their strongest troops at AAC 2023.
After the gold medal, Huyen and her teammates were awarded 100 million VND from the Vietnam Athletics Federation and a sponsor. The team is expected to receive an additional 80 million VND from the Young Talent Support Fund, along with a State bonus of 70 million VND for each Asian gold medal.
The gold medal in the women's 4x400m race helped Vietnam escape empty-handed at the AAC 2023. Along with a bronze medal in the triple jump by Nguyen Thi Huong, Vietnam ranked 13th in the overall standings. Japan led with 16 gold medals, 11 silver medals and 10 bronze medals. The Philippines and Singapore ranked sixth with two gold medals, while host Thailand ranked 10th with one gold medal, one silver medal and four bronze medals.
According to VnExpress
Thailand, Nguyen Thi Huyen, Nguyen Thi Hang, Nguyen Thi Ngoc, Women's 4x400m, 2023 Asian Athletics Championships, Hoang Thi Minh Hanh, Asian Women's 4x400m Gold Medal
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