LookAtVietnam – Ha Noi athletes topped the medals table at five-day national athletics championships in HCM City, which ended yesterday, September 20.

Fly like an eagle: Vu Van Huyen is triumphant after vaulting 4.70m to shatter the national record of 4.06m by Le Hong Phuc in 2006.

Ha Noi added four golds, three silvers and two bronzes in last two days of the competition.

Vinh Long was a surprise third with five gold, two silver and three bronze medals.

The top 10 also included An Giang, Khanh Hoa, Thai Binh, Da Nang, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An and Ninh Binh.

Hosts HCM City failed to win gold but had three silvers and five bronzes. Only 17 of 51 participating provinces and cities won medals.

Athletes set six national records at the competition: in the women’s 100m, men’s vault pole, women’s hammer throw and three new events - the women’s 20km walk and the men’s and women’s 4×800m.

In the women’s hammer throw Pham Thi Thanh Truc from Vinh Long hit 47.61m in her last throw to demolish the 44.45m national record of Da Nang’s Nguyen Thi Ngoc Ly, who had to settle for silver with 44.06m.

Ha Noi’s 4×800m men’s relay team of Nguyen Quang Hung, Nguyen Van Hong, Nguyen Ba The and Dao Van Tung finished in 7:43.83 to set a national record while Khanh Hoa’s 4×800m women’s relay team set a national record with 9:26.46.

But the most noticeable national record belonged to the men’s pole vault with Southeast Asia decathlon record holder Vu Van Huyen coming back to exceed the 4.60m record set by Tay Ninh province’s Le Hong Phuc, who finished last after failing to clear 4.50m.

Huyen continued to jump, setting another national record at 4.65m and another at 4.70m.

Earlier in the competition, national records were set by Nguyen Thi Thanh Phuc of Da Nang in the women’s 20km walk debut, in 1 hour 52 minutes and 54 seconds and Southeast Asia sprint queen Vu Thi Huong in the women’s 100min 11.43, beating 11.47 by 0.04 second set by Thailand’s Nakhon Ratchasima.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News