Two more Vietnamese qualify for Boston Marathon

On Wednesday they received confirmation from the Boston Athletic Association.

Hoa, who is from Da Nang, won the VnExpress Marathon men's race in a time of 2:41.57 in the central beach town of Quy Nhon in June, while Hanoian Le won the women’s race in 2:52.41.  

The VnExpress Marathon is one of four events in Vietnam to be recognized by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS) along with the Long Bien Marathon, Techcombank Marathon and Danang International Marathon.  

Last week Hanoi's doctor Dinh Huynh Linh and Nguyen Tien Hung, a military factory worker in the northern province of Phu Tho, received confirmation they had qualified for the Boston Marathon. Linh won the 2019 Seoul Marathon last March in 2:56.18 while Hung won the 2018 Long Bien Marathon in Vietnam in a time of 2:43.06.

According to the Boston Athletics Association, runners must achieve times corresponding to their age and gender in an outdoor marathon accredited by IAAF-AIMS to qualify for the race.

Last year Nguyen Linh Chi of Ho Chi Minh City became the first ever Vietnamese to compete in the Boston Marathon. She finished in a time of 3:9.31.

The Boston Marathon, the world’s oldest – it was first run in 1897 – is considered one of six marathon majors.

In 2013 a double bombing near the finish line killed three people and injured at least 264 in what was one of the highest-profile attacks on U.S. soil since 9/11.