Vietnamese athlete wins gold medal with teammate's 'decoy' tactic.

Duong Van Thai thanked Vo Vu Linh, his teammate, for agreeing to be a "decoy" to help him win the gold medal in the 800m race on the evening of August 23rd.

"This gold medal is the result of teamwork and strategy. I wouldn't have been able to win it without the sacrifice of my younger brother, Vo Vu Linh," Duong Van Thai shared with VnExpress after receiving the gold medal.

At Bukit Jalil Stadium, Duong Van Thai completed the 800m race with a time of 1 minute 48 seconds 97.

Van Thai embraces Vo Linh in gratitude after crossing the finish line. Photo: Duc Dong.

"Vu Linh employed a tactical approach, leading the race at the beginning so I could accelerate later. This strategy was effective because the opponents couldn't anticipate my abilities. They would focus on Vo Linh and wouldn't expect me to accelerate from behind. Thank you to my teammate who sacrificed himself to help Vietnamese athletics defend its gold medal in the 800m event, his specialty," Duong Van Thai added.

Duong Van Thai's performance surpassed the national record. However, he expressed some regret at almost breaking the SEA Games record.

"This gold medal was really hard-won because the participating athletes were all at a similar level. In particular, the opponents from Myanmar and the Philippines were strong, and had received significant investment and training abroad. But the more difficult it was, the sweeter the victory," Dương Văn Thái happily shared.

August 23rd was a golden day for Vietnamese athletics as they won four gold medals. Besides Duong Van Thai, Vu Thi Men (triple jump), Vu Thi Ly (800m) and Nguyen Tu Chinh (200m) also took home gold medals.

If the Malaysian athlete hadn't cheated or used any tricks while running, Phan Thi Bich Ha could have still won the gold medal in the 10,000m race walk.

According to VNE