Starting his career as an athletics athlete in the 3,000m steeplechase, Tien San has attended three SEA Games versions and won silvers in 2013, 2015 and 2017. After the SEA Games in Malaysia, he was not a member of the national athletics team. When he returned to practice with the Bac Giang athletics team, he switched to the long run team, with 10 km, half-marathon and marathon events.

Pham Tien San and his historic victory in duathlon.

Thanks to his rich experience and achievements in athletics, Tien San caught the eye of the training board of the national triathlon - duathlon team and was included in the list of athletes receiving key investment to compete in the 31st SEA Games. 

By mid-2021, when organisers decided to organize this subject at the Games in Vitnam, Tien San began to practice duathlon properly. But he also only practiced on his own for about half a year, with a road bike and an indoor cycling machine he borrowed from the BoiDapChay triathlon club.

Only after the 2022 Lunar New Year, Tien San trained with the team, then participated in two intensive training courses in Ba Ria - Vung Tau and Tuan Chau (Quang Ninh). "Although he is not a professional duathlon athlete and had only practiced the sport for less than a year, Tien San still showed rapid progress. In the first duathlon tournament, the athlete, who was born in 1991, failed. But the next time, he was placed third. 

The competition for SEA Games medal was the third tournament Tien San had taken part in, but he made the biggest success of his career when he finished first with a record of 1 hour 55 minutes 58 seconds, 14 seconds faster than his rival Ferbriade Rudi of Indonesia.

Duong Duc Thuy, former head of the Athletics Department under the Vietnam Sports Administration, said that Pham Tien San's gold medal is a precious gift that he and his team have given to the Vietnamese sports delegation.

Spending most of his time practicing on his hometown of Bac Giang, San's practicing plans were assigned and supervised by coaches and experts including Loo Chuan Rong and Cao Ngoc Ha on the software system. Until February 2022 when the Vietnam triathlon-duathlon team was called to attend the 31st SEA Games, he and his teammates focused on training. 

In addition to practicing hard, Tien San also showed great discipline and bravery. He strictly followed the tactics set out by the coaching staff: trying to finish first in the first 10 km race, always being in the first group in the 40 km cycling, and trying to speed up a bit when preparing to finish this second race, then run at full speed for the last 5km. In the first round, Tien San faced fierce competition from Rudi, but in the remaining rounds, he showed his strength and outpaced his opponent to finish first.

Athlete Pham Tien San outpaces Indonesia's Ferbriade Rudi to finish first.

After this victory, Pham Tien San said emotionally: "At this moment, I still feel like I am flying because I can't believe I've won a gold medal. I participated in two duathlon tournaments but my performance was not very good, so at SEA Games 31, I was determined to win. With the support of the coaching staff in all aspects, I had reasonable tactics and won the gold medal." 

Thanks to Tien San's victory, the Vietnamese triathlon - duathlon team won the gold medal for the first time in a SEA Games, a breakthrough as compared to Nguyen Thi Phuong Trinh's bronze medal in the women's duathlon in the Philippines in 2019.

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Update of medals table at SEA Games 31

Update of medals table at SEA Games 31.

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