On the morning of December 1st, 2024, athlete Nguyen Thi Oanh from Bac Giang made history by breaking the Vietnamese women’s marathon record at the Viettel Marathon. She completed the race in an astonishing time of 2 hours, 39 minutes, and 50 seconds, shattering the previous record by 4 minutes and 30 seconds.
Just over two months after setting a new personal best of 2 hours, 44 minutes, and 20 seconds at the Hanoi Techcombank International Marathon, Oanh stunned the Vietnamese running community with her performance at the Viettel Marathon in Hanoi. Despite facing formidable competitors like Hoang Thi Ngoc Hoa, Pham Thi Hong Le, and Bui Thu Ha, Oanh maintained her focus and outpaced them to achieve a new national record.
“I set the goal to break the record when I came to the Viettel Marathon, but I was also cautious and listened to my body, especially since I had just completed my tasks at the National Athletics Championship in Dong Nai a month ago. I’m so happy I achieved it,” Oanh shared after crossing the finish line at the My Dinh National Stadium.
This marks the first time in Vietnam’s running history that the national marathon record has been broken three times in a year. Back in January 2024, Ngoc Hoa set a new record at the Hong Kong Marathon, breaking an eight-year-old record previously held by Hoang Thi Thanh at the National Championships. However, on this occasion, Ngoc Hoa finished in second place, nearly eight minutes behind Oanh with a time of 2 hours, 47 minutes, and 43 seconds, a significant gap in marathon terms. Bui Thu Ha took third place with a time of 2 hours, 49 minutes, and 57 seconds, while Hong Le finished fourth at 2 hours, 50 minutes, and 51 seconds.
In addition to her marathon success, Nguyen Thi Oanh holds four other national records in middle-distance and long-distance events. She is the national record holder in the indoor 1500m (4:15.55), 3000m steeplechase (9:43.83, also the SEA Games record), 5000m (15:53.48), and 10000m (33:13.23).
This race marks Oanh’s first appearance since her hat-trick of gold medals at the National Athletics Championships in Dong Nai on November 13th, where she won the 1500m, 5000m, and 3000m steeplechase titles within three days.
Oanh’s rapid progression from middle-distance to long-distance running has been remarkable, showing her dedication and relentless hard work. Her continued success in breaking marathon records in such a short period is a testament to her discipline and determination.
Nguyen Thi Oanh is nominated for the “Best Female Professional Athlete” category at the VnExpress Runners of the Year 2024 awards. She is currently leading the vote with 776 votes after two weeks of open voting.
Leave a Reply