Born in 2000, Kim Cuong had previously won the Aquaman Solo women's category in the hai most recent seasons held in Phan Thiet and Ho Tram. This year presented a greater challenge as she competed for the first time under the intense Central Vietnam sun.
Kim Cuong currently lives and trains in Can Tho, where the summer weather is not hot enough to prepare her body for Central Vietnam's conditions. Many weeks before the Hoiana Aquaman 2026, she proactively shifted all her swimming and running sessions to midday to acclimate.
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Kim Cuong after finishing the swim and on her way to the transition area. *Photo: Aquaman Vietnam* |
"I'm in Can Tho, where the weather isn't as hot as Central Vietnam. To adapt, I often trained at midday to get used to it. Even so, today was a tough challenge because of the early heat," Kim Cuong recounted after crossing the finish line at Hoiana Resort & Golf, Da Nang, on the morning of 26/7, with a time of 2 hours 20 minutes 43 seconds.
Her time of 2 hours 20 minutes 43 seconds marks Kim Cuong's personal record in the Aquaman Solo distance. This performance improved her previous winning time in Ho Tram in 12/2024 (2 hours 32 minutes 3 seconds) by nearly 12 minutes. Notably, she achieved this personal record amidst Central Vietnam's heat, unlike the cooler year-end weather of the previous season.
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Kim Cuong swimming against the current. *Photo: Aquaman Vietnam* |
Despite improving by nearly 12 minutes, Kim Cuong's performance does not fully reflect the race's difficulty. On the hai-lap 2 km swim course, she faced a challenge immediately in the second lap when the water changed direction, flowing strongly towards the shore.
"The section swimming towards the shore had a strong current, almost pulling me back, so that was when I was most tired. In the second lap, I also got stuck with many athletes behind, everyone grouped together, making swimming harder," she explained.
While the swim was a battle against the current, the run was a battle against the weather and pressure from competitors. From around km 18-19, the temperature rose rapidly. Kim Cuong could not sprint the final kilometers but only tried to maintain her pace to the finish. Hanh Nguyen, a competitor she considered formidable, closely followed her from the swim to the run.
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Kim Cuong taking water to cool down on the running course. *Photo: Aquaman Vietnam*
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Kim Cuong taking water to cool down on the running course. *Photo: Aquaman Vietnam*
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Kim Cuong leaving the beach area, running directly to the transition area. *Photo: Aquaman Vietnam*
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The female athlete from Can Tho pushing hard on the internal running course of Hoiana Resort & Golf. *Photo: Aquaman Vietnam*
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The female athlete from Can Tho pushing hard on the internal running course of Hoiana Resort & Golf. *Photo: Aquaman Vietnam*
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The female athlete from Can Tho pushing hard on the internal running course of Hoiana Resort & Golf. *Photo: Aquaman Vietnam*
"Each person has their own goal, so I just tried to stick to every meter, every kilometer, aiming straight for the finish line," said the triathlete born in 2000.
Kim Cuong noted that the event being held entirely within the Hoiana Resort & Golf complex for the first time offered a clear advantage for athletes. The completely separate swim and run courses from traffic helped her focus more on strategy throughout the race.
After a hat-trick of Aquaman Vietnam championships, Kim Cuong has no plans to stop. Just mot week later, she will participate in mot marathon in Phu Yen before aiming for bigger goals this year.
"For me, the journey to defend the championship doesn't end at the finish line. It begins right with the next training session," she emphasized.
Thy An
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