The 31st South East Asian (SEA) Games are underway in Hanoi, Vietnam.
In reality, this edition of the Games should have taken place last season, but the temporal shifts of the events due to the pandemic and the particular ones from Tokyo 2020 to 2021, had as a reflection that even for the South East Asian games there was a shift to the 'next year.
While keeping the original name and logo, these games take place from 12 May 2022 to 23 May 2022.
The athletics program instead began on May 14 and ends today May 19 with the two marathons (men and women) and the two walking races (men and women) over the distance of 20km on the road.
The running races took place on a circuit housed in the National Sport Complex, My Dinh in Hanoi this morning starting at 6:00 for men and 6:15 for women.
20km men
Seven athletes at the start representing the following countries: Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnam.
Victory to Vo Xuan Vinh (VIE) with a time of 1:32:32. However, the 31-year-old athlete from Vietnam boasts a personal best of 1:28:41 established eight years ago (13.12: 2014) in Namdinh (VIE).
Second place to an old acquaintance of the South East Asia march, Hendro Hendro (INA) in 1:35:31. Even for the 32-year-old Indonesian, the personal best is far off. The 1:27:24 of him endures from 20.3.2016 when he was established in Nomi (JPN).
Third place went to the other athlete from Vietnam, Thanh Nguyen Ngung who finished the race in 1:37:43, far from the personal best of 1:23:29 set in Nomi (JPN) on 20.3.2016.
20km women
In the women's race, six athletes show up at the start.
Victory to Thanh Phuc Nguyen The (VIE) with a time of 1:48:18. The thirty-one year old athlete from Vietnam boasts a personal best of 1:33:36 established in London on 11.8.2012 during the Olympic Games and which still represents the national record of Vietnam's 20km walk in the women's category.
Second place to May Htet Zin (MYA) in 1:52:34
Third place in Kotchaphon Tangsrivong (THA) in 1:56:07