Vietnam athletics star to miss SEA Games 31

Vietnam Athletics Federation confirmed that Chinh is still recovering from a meniscus injury she sustained in March. Chinh's absence will affect the result of Vietnamese athletics in this SEA Games since she is the gold medal hope in the 100 and 200 m sprints.

Chinh is considered the queen of sprinting in Southeast Asia. In her first time at SEA Games 2017, she claimed three gold medals in the 100 m, 200 m and 4x100 m relay. At SEA Games 2019, Chinh defended the gold medal after finishing the 100 m in 11.54 seconds, only 0.01 seconds faster than Filipino runner Kristina Knott.

Athletics was the most successful sport for Vietnam in SEA Games 2019 with 16 gold medals scored. In this year's event, the national athletics team seek to win the same number of gold medals and strengthen their top spot in Southeast Asia.