Nguyen Duy Bang fails to jump the 2.06 meter level at the National Athletics Championships.

High jump record holder Nguyen Duy Bang crashed out while sprint queen Vu Thi Huong broke her 100-meter record on the first day of the 2009 National Athletics Championships on Wednesday.

Bang, who set the national and Southeast Asian high jump record of 2.25 meters in 2004, flew over the bar at 2 meters easily while the other nine competitors struggled.

Bang then skipped 2.03 meters to jump the 2.06 meter level, but the Ben Tre Province representative failed after three attempts. At this height, there were only three contestants left: Cong Phuoc, Nguyen Thanh Phong of Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Dao Van Thuy of the army team.

Phuoc, Phong and Thuy then jumped over the bar at 2.06 and then 2.09 meters. When the bar was at 2.11 meters, Phuoc was successful in his first attempt while Phong and Thuy failed after all the three attempts.

“It is an unforgettable experience for me,” Phuoc said. “At the Southeast Asian Students Competiton a year ago, my best result was 2.09 meters.

“Perhaps, Phong, Thuy and I were happier after Bang bowed out. That was why I could jump over 2.11 meters.”

Bang might not have been at his best this time because he has been busy helping his wife take care of their two-month-old daughter at HCMC’s Children Hospital No.2.

In other action, sprint queen Huong of An Giang won the women’s 100m gold medal, clocking 11”43 and breaking her 2007 record by 00”04.

Huong’s impressive return after nursing an injury for nearly a year puts her in a good position to defend her 100 and 200-meter titles at the Southeast Asian Games to take place in Laos in December.

In the men’s 100m race, the organizers couldn’t decide who the winner was as Hoang Thanh Viet of Ho Chi Minh City and Bui Duy Thuong from Hanoi finished at the same moment and video recordings were also inconclusive.

Organizers said they would need more discussions to resolve the issue.

Source: Tuoi Tre