Vietnamese men break Japanese domination at Da Nang international marathon

By Hoang Nguyen August 12, 2019 | 01:13 am PT

Runners start the 2019 Da Nang International Marathon in the central city of Da Nang, August 11, 2019. Photo courtesy of Da Nang International Marathon.

Vietnamese men took the first two places at the Da Nang International Marathon Sunday, breaking a strong Japanese hold.

Tan Hi Le won the men’s full marathon (42km) in 2:40:51 and Le Van Tuan finished second with 2:42:36, followed by Japanese Hydeyuki Mamiya (2:43:18).

Japanese marathoners continued to dominate the women’s 42km race with Marcia Zhou finishing first in 2:57:54, Yuki Mizuseda second in 3:07:18 and Chiaki Yoshida third in 3:19:18.

In the men’s half marathon (21km), Japanese runner Takumi Hasebe finished first with a time of 1:11:21, 3.5 minutes ahead of second-placed Swiss runner Fabian Downs. Hikaru Urano of Japan was third with 1:14:49.

On the women's side, Chinese Kin Kai Chan won the half-marathon (1:22:54), followed by Chinese Pan Tianjiao (1:27:06). Vietnamese runner Nguyen Thi Huong finished third (1:29:49).

The men’s 10km race was won by Malaysia’s Wai Ching Soh and women's by Vietnamese-American Phi Luong Hong.

The best-placed Vietnamese runner, Le, will get a spot at the Shonam International Marathon in Japan this December.

The event’s organizers raised VND200 million ($8,700) from donors during the race to support orphans, Agent Orange victms, and other people with disabilities in Da Nang.

This year's race had a record number of participants with more than 9,000 athletes, including 2,400 foreigners from 67 countries and territories competing in the 42km, 21km, 10km and 5km runs.