Thai games stepping stone for runners

Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnamese middle distance runners are using the Thailand Open Track
and Field Championships next Sunday as part of their build-up to December's
Southeast Asia (SEA) Games in Laos .

The women's short distance team, coached by Nguyen Dinh Minh, is following a similar
training pattern but with sprint queen Vu Thi Huong, who won two gold medals at the
24 th SEA Games in Thailand , injured, it will bypass the Thai event.

"This is the first technical test for the team since the National Athletic
Championships last October, so the coaching board decided to send only Nguyen Dinh
Cuong and Truong Thanh Hang to the event," said middle distance team coach Ho Thi Tu
Tam.

Hang and Cuong have concentrated on developing physical strength and durability
since the October championships.

Tam, who is not asking her charges for top results in Thailand , said Hang should
run about 2min 06s in the women's 800 m and Cuong 1m 56s in the men's 800m.

Tam will then adjust her training to suit their preparations for their main target,
the ASEA Games in Laos .

Cuong won gold at the Thailand SEA Games while Hang took the women's 800m at
the Asian Track and Field Championship in 2007 and golds in the 800 and 1,500m at
the 24 th SEA Games.
Countries sending more than 2,000 athletes to the Thailand Open include Singapore
, Brunei , China , Myanmar , the Philippines , Malaysia , Indonesia and
Kazakhstan .

Following the Thailand Open which ends on April 29, Cuong and Hang will contest the
Asian Grand Prix Series starting on May 20. Last year, Hang won three golds during
the series.
The short distance team will train in China in July and August.-Enditem