Athlete Nguyen Van Lai bid farewell to two forte distances

"There is a bit of regret, because I have played these two distances for 15 years. But it's time to make a choice," Van Lai told MetaSports on the afternoon of December 24. "At the age of 36, my health is no longer ideal to compete in these two events. I also withdrew so that young athletes have a playground and motivation to develop. I think at this moment, I am more suitable for the content. Long-running content requires will and energy. I will practice to compete outdoors in the near future."

The runner born in 1986 retired from the top, after winning the 10,000m gold medal, broke the record of the National Sports Festival with a time of 30 minutes 46 seconds 21 set by Nguyen Chi Dong (Hanoi) in 2002. In the content 5,000m, he won silver medal.

Van Lai dominated the 5,000m and 10,000m distances at the SEA Games in 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2022. Therefore, the backing of Thanh Hoa-born athletes will leave a gap for Vietnamese athletics in the 32nd SEA Games. in Cambodia in May next year. According to Van Lai, the race at these two distances at the upcoming SEA Games will be very unpredictable, but he believes that the juniors in the team can compete for the gold medal.

Previously, Van Lai had expressed his intention to practice marathon distance and wished to one day compete in this content at the SEA Games. In August, he participated in the MetaSports Marathon Nha Trang and had no opponent on the 21km run. "My next goal is to try and find a new limit for myself with long-running events. I haven't thought of the SEA Games yet. The selection period will be four months away, so my performance won't be certain. I hope to be able to return to this arena in the future," said Van Lai.