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History made, Oanh on track for her 15th title
The Straits Times
|December 16, 2025
History was made on Dec 15 at the Suphachalasai National Stadium when a new queen of the track at the SEA Games was crowned.
Vietnamese middle-distance runner Nguyen Thi Oanh crossed the finishing line first in the women's 10,000m in 34min 27.93sec to become the most successful track-only athlete in the biennial event.
But no one could have guessed the magnitude of her achievement.
And having lapped several competitors, Oanh appeared as though she could effortlessly run another 10,000m.
Oanh's triumph meant the 30-year-old had won a 14th gold medal from five consecutive SEA Games from 2017 to 2025, to overtake compatriot Nguyen Thi Huyen, the former "hurdles queen" of Vietnam, as the athlete with most gold medals from the track at the Games.
Huyen retired from the sport in 2023.
This story is from the December 16, 2025 edition of The Straits Times.
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