At the My Dinh National Stadium, Nguyen Thi Oanh excellently won two gold medals in the 1,500 m and 5,000 m races on the same day (May 14) and she was also the athlete to bring the first gold medal for Vietnamese athletics at the 31st SEA Games. It can be said that Oanh's victory had been predicted as the Bac Giang girl, who was born in 1995, had no rival in both the region and the country for several years. Her main goal was to win over herself to break the records.

Runner Nguyen Thi Oanh (right) and her teammates put on the national flags after winning gold medals.

With that outstanding achievement, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam went to the track to congratulate Oanh and her runner-up Pham Thi Hong Le after the two Vietnamese girls finished the 5,000 m race.

Nguyen Thi Oanh, before becoming the top Vietnamese runner, experienced many difficulties with a terrible disease, and was in danger of retiring from her career. A petite girl on the journey of self-improvement lost all of her spirit and confidence when glomerulonephritis affected not only her health but also her appearance.

The doctors concluded that it was difficult for the runner to continue her career if she wanted to protect her health. However, with strong will and passion, Oanh overcame her illness.

The first period back to training was one of the most terrible memories in Oanh's life. She experienced severe muscle aches and poor breathing. When witnessing Oanh winning two gold medals, breaking the SEA Games records on the same day in 2019, very few people knew how difficult this girl used to be.

Oanh is the leading star of Southeast Asia in the 3,000 m steeplechase. However, it was not until 2019 when the girl from Bac Giang province fulfilled her dream of standing on the podium with a gold medal in this category. The “pepper” girl likened it to obstacles and challenges in the process of training.

Oanh always feels happy when conquering obstacles both in life and on track. The female athlete knows that she can be exhausted, tired, and fall, but when all her efforts and strong will are promoted, she is proud of the image of a red flag with a yellow star on her chest. In 2013, for the first time, Oanh competed at the largest arena in Southeast Asia with a silver medal in the 3,000 m steeplechase. Oanh's achievement was 10 minutes 40.92 seconds, just only 26.38 seconds less than the gold medalist Rini Budiarti of Indonesia. In 2015, the girl missed the SEA Games while in the process of returning to the track.

Two years later on the Malaysian land, the SEA Games Organizing Committee removed the category of Oanh’s forte. Putting aside the difficulties, she shocked the whole Southeast Asia when winning the 1,500 m and 5,000 m races. That special thing showed the extraordinary will of this small girl. With less than 2 months of preparation and no tournament to sharpen skills, Oanh won the championship in categories against her forte.

The 30th SEA Games again arranged the 3,000 m steeplechase and 5,000 m run in one day. But all burst with joy when Oanh broke the SEA Games record in the 3,000 m steeplechase in the evening and then a gold medal in the 5,000 m race. There was no barrier that could stop SEA Games champion Nguyen Thi Oanh from winning. Before that, the "pepper" girl also successfully defended the title in the 1,500 m. And Oanh is one of the few athletes who are successful in both middle and long distances.

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