LookAtVietnam – The National Track and Field Championship 2009 closed in HCM City on September 2 with Hanoi topping the medal tally with 8 gold, 7 silver and 7 bronze medals.

Runner Vu Thi Huong.

The Military team ranked second with 8 gold, 2 silver and 6 bronze medals while, with five gold, 2 silver and 3 bronze medals, Vinh Long province came third.

On the last competition day “Queen of Speed” Vu Thi Huong from An Giang province won another gold medal for the women’s 200m sprint, with a time of 23.39 seconds. With four gold medals for 100m, 200m, 4×100m and 4×200m sprints, Huong took home the highest number of gold medals in the tournament.

In men’s 200m race, the Military team’s Nguyen Van Quang was the winner with 21.56 seconds. Meanwhile, SEA Games champion Nguyen Dinh Cuong claimed the second gold medal for Ninh Binh province in men’s 1500m race.

Notably, Truong Thanh Hang, the favourite for the women’s 1500m, had to quit the race leaving Bui Thi Hien from Thai Binh province to claim gold with a time of 4.49.72 minutes.

Elsewhere Le Thi Phuong won the gold medal for women’s pole-vaulting (3.90m). Khanh Hoa’s Nguyen Duc Bao took gold for the men’s 10,000m marathon (32.10.73 minutes). Nguyen Truong Giang from Ben Tre got gold in the men’s javelin throwing (63.42m) and Bui Thi Nhat Thanh from Nam Dinh province scooped gold in the women’s triple jump. (13.6m).

September 19, saw the setting of a string of new national records. Vu Van Huyen won the second medal in men’s pole jumping (4.70m), breaking his record made in 2006 (4.60m). He was among the best player in this tournament.

Other records on the same day belonged to Vinh Long’s Pham Thi Thanh Truc in the women’s hammer throwing with 47.61m, breaking a record made in 2007 by Nguyen Thi Ngoc Ly from Da Nang (44.45m). Khanh Hoa’s women relay team with 9.26.56 minutes for 4×800 race easily beat the old record made by Thai Binh team (9.32.5 minutes) while Hanoi’s male relay team with 7.43.83 for the 4×800m easily beat the standing record of to 7.58.50 minutes set by Quang Ninh.

PV