Tu Chinh won the 200m, surpassing the gold medal record of SEA Games 28

Le Tu Chinh continued to affirm her position as the new queen of Vietnamese athletics with a 200m gold medal in Thailand yesterday, June 14.

In the women's 200m final yesterday, Tu Chinh finished first with a time of 23.52 seconds, 0.22 seconds faster than the runner-up, a Singaporean athlete.

This milestone not only helped her win another gold medal at the 2017 Thailand Open Athletics Championship, but also created great hopes for Vietnamese athletics as they look towards the 29th SEA Games in Malaysia next August.

Tu Chinh (center) is recreating the image of her senior Vu Thi Huong on short-distance races. Photo: Nguyen Phuong.

Compared to the athlete who won the gold medal in the same 200m women's event at the 2015 SEA Games (23 seconds 60), Tu Chinh ran 0.08 seconds faster. At the 2013 SEA Games, senior Vu Thi Huong won the gold medal in the 200m with a time of 23 seconds 55.

Previously, in the 100m event where she won a gold medal, Tu Chinh's achievement - 11 seconds 47 - also far exceeded the 11 seconds 76 that helped Philippine athlete Kayla Richardson win a gold medal at the 2015 SEA Games.

In the two previous SEA Games, the gold medal in the women's 100m was also far behind Tu Chinh's record at this Thailand tournament. Vu Thi Huong only achieved 11 seconds 59 in 2013, while Unani achieved 11 seconds 60 in 2011.

Alongside Tu Chinh, athlete Nguyen Hoai Van won the gold medal in the men's javelin throw and broke the Vietnamese national record with a throw of 72.26m. The old record was set by athlete Nguyen Truong Giang at the 2011 SEA Games with 69.07m.

Meanwhile, Do Quoc Luat also won the gold medal in the men's 3000m hurdles with a time of 9 minutes 12 seconds 89. In the women's 400m hurdles, athlete Nguyen Thi Hang won the silver medal with a time of 55 seconds 31.

On the final competition day today, June 15, Vietnamese athletics is still waiting for Tu Chinh and her teammates to compete successfully in the women's 4x100m relay.

According to VNE