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

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

"This gold medal is a combination of team spirit and tactics. I would not 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 in 1 minute 48 seconds 97.

Van Thai hugged Vo Linh in gratitude after reaching the finish line. Photo: Duc Dong.

"Vu Linh played a tactical game, going up in the first section so that I could accelerate later. This tactic was effective because my opponents could not fully predict my abilities. They would focus on Vo Linh and not expect me to accelerate from behind. Thank you to my teammate who sacrificed his life to help Vietnamese athletics defend the gold medal in their forte, the 800m event," Duong Van Thai added.

Duong Van Thai's achievement surpassed the national record. However, he felt a bit regretful when he almost broke the SEA Games record.

"This gold medal was really difficult because the participating athletes had similar levels. In particular, the opponents from Myanmar and the Philippines were strong, had been invested in and trained abroad continuously. But the more difficult it was, the sweeter the victory was," Duong Van Thai excitedly shared.

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

If the host Malaysian athlete had not cheated and used running tricks, Phan Thi Bich Ha could have brought home a gold medal in the 10,000m race walk./.

According to VNE