Vietnam track and field star athlete Bui Thi Thu Thao on July 26 earned a national team berth in the upcoming 2014 Asian Games (ASIAD 17) in the Republic of Korea.

Bui Thi Thu Thao.

Thao secured the spot thanks to her gold medal effort of 6.46 m in the women’s long jump at the 21st International Track and Field Championships in HCM City.

Thu Thao surpassed Asian defending champion Marestella Torres of the Philippines who is the current holder of the Southeast Asian record of 6.71m in the long jump. Torres managed only a 6.14m jump and a silver medal, failing to qualify for a berth to ASIAD 17 as expected.

Meanwhile, Vietnam’s top runner Vu Thi Huong continued displaying her athleticism by winning the gold medal in the women’s 200m track-and-field event (clocked at 23.92 seconds).

Young athlete Hoang Thi Trinh secured the top place in the women’s 20km walk. Her teammate Nguyen Van Tu managed a first place finish at the 20km walk for men.

In the men’s 200m, Nguyen Van Huynh bagged a silver medal as he finished just a tad bit slower than Lee Yo Han from the Republic of Korea.

Pham Thi Diem collected a gold medal in the women’s high jump event (1.82m).

With such high results, Vietnam took the lead in the medal tally at the 21st International Track and Field Championships in HCM City with 8 gold, 4 silver and 5 bronze medals.

VOV/VNN