Runner achieves personal best at world championship

Oanh set a personal record of 4 minutes and 12.28 seconds, which was only 13th out of 14 athletes competing in the third race. The heats had four races, with only the top six from each advancing to the semifinals.

In the same race as Oanh, there were two other athletes who also set personal records, but also didn’t get through. To reach the semifinals, Oanh would have had to beat Australian sprinter Linden Hall's time of 4 minutes 01.45 seconds.

Overall, Oanh ranked 51st out of 56 athletes. Among Asian athletes, the 28-year-old ranked behind two Japanese sprinters, Nozomi Tanaka with 4 minutes and 4.36 seconds and Yume Goto with 4 minutes and 10.22 seconds.

Topping the heat was the 20-year-old sprinter Nelly Chepchirchir from Kenya, who finished her run in 4 minutes and 0.87 seconds, nearly 12 seconds ahead of Oanh.

At the 2018 Asian Games, Oanh finished fourth in the final of the women’s 1,500m event on 4 minutes and 15.49 seconds. If Oanh continues to improve her performance, she can compete for a medal at the upcoming Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, in September 2023.

Oanh was six seconds faster than her time at the Asian Athletics Championships in July, when she finished fifth with 4 minutes and 18.84 seconds.

However, Oanh still couldn’t break the national record held by Truong Thanh Hang at the 2010 Asian Games with 4 minutes and 9.58 seconds. Hang also holds the SEA Games record for the women’s 1,500m, with 4 minutes and 11.6 seconds in 2007.

The 2023 World Athletics Championships is taking place in Budapest, Hungary from August 19-27. Oanh is the only Vietnamese athlete in the tournament, thanks to a special qualification as her result was not enough to qualify on merit.