Manh Hung, at just 21 years old and competing in his first SEA Games, received little attention or mention. Even during his over one hour of competition at Supachalasai Stadium on the evening of 11/12, the triple jumper was largely overlooked by the media. It was only when a Vietnamese athlete was seen waving the red flag with a yellow star along the sideline of Stand B that reporters, seated at Stand A, realized a fellow countryman had just won gold.

In reality, Manh Hung had shown significant professional improvement before the SEA Games. In August, he won the national championship gold medal in triple jump in Da Nang with a distance of 16m30. This was Manh Hung's first national championship, and the result earned him a spot to compete at SEA Games 33.

Manh Hung's decisive sixth jump of 16m33 in the men's triple jump at SEA Games 33 on the afternoon of 11/12 at Supachalasai Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand. Photo: Duc Dong

On the evening of 11/12 at Supachalasai Stadium, Hung competed for the first time against top regional athletes. He had six jumps, but his first attempt was poor due to nervousness. In the second and third jumps, Manh Hung performed poorly because of faulty run-ups. By the fourth jump, despite his highest determination, he made a foul.

"With only two jumps remaining, I had to raise my hand and ask the crowd to clap in rhythm to motivate me. As a result, my performance improved in the fifth jump, reaching 16m", Manh Hung told VnExpress. "Feeling more motivated, for the final jump, I told myself to give it my all, determined to make a career-defining jump, and I achieved 16,33 meters, securing the gold medal."

Hung's performance surpassed the two athletes behind him: Anura Andre of Malaysia (16,29 meters) and Lee Gabriel of Singapore (16,09 meters).

"I was overjoyed and happy. I couldn't believe my eyes when I won the gold medal", Hung recounted as he waited for the medal ceremony. "In my first major competition, I only aimed to perform my best and be in contention for a medal. I never expected that decisive jump would lead me to my first SEA Games gold medal, and also the first gold for Vietnamese athletics at these Games. No words can describe my emotions right now."

It had been 12 years since Vietnam last won a SEA Games gold medal in the triple jump event. Previously, at SEA Games 27 in 2013 in Myanmar, another athlete also named Hung, Nguyen Van Hung, won gold. Van Hung currently holds the national record for this event with a performance of 16,67 meters.

Manh Hung celebrates his SEA Games 33 triple jump gold medal on the afternoon of 11/12 at Supachalasai Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand. Photo: Duc Dong

Manh Hung stated that his dream is to break the national record held by his predecessor. "I set that goal to give myself more motivation to train and strive. If I work hard, I believe I can achieve it in the future", he said.

According to Coach Vu Van Quy, who directly coaches the long jump team, Manh Hung is young but always shows high awareness in training, aiming for future benchmarks. "He is diligent and trains hard. Competing in his first SEA Games and immediately winning gold is a deserved reward", said Mr. Quy.

Duc Dong