Vietnamese woman wins 2022 Swissultra Triathlon

A Hanoi-born woman has become the first Vietnamese athlete to win the Deca Ultratriathlon World Championship 2022 which took place in Switzerland from August 14-29.

Thanh Vu celebrates her victory with the Vietnamese national flag at the Deca-Triathlon World Championship on August 28. — Photo SwissUltra

The official Deca-Triathlon World Championship website on Sunday evening congratulated Thanh Vu who won the competition for female athletes in 328 hours, 27 minutes, 55 seconds, equivalent to 13 days, 16 hours, 27 minutes, and 55 seconds. French athlete Nadine Zacharias came second in 329 hours, 27 minutes, and 16 seconds.

Taking part in the race, athletes are required to complete 38 kilometres of swimming, 1,800 kilometres of cycling and finally 422 kilometres of running.

Thanh Vu cycles during the race. — Photo SwissUltra

Only 23 female athletes worldwide entered the race this year, and Thanh Vu was among two that had completed the race as of the evening of August 28.

The world record in this category for women is 247 hours, 7 minutes, 21 seconds, set by Christine Couldrey of Australia in 2018.

Meanwhile, 14 male athletes completed the race as of the evening of August 28 with Kenneth Vanthuyne from Belgium finishing first in 182 hours, 43 minutes, and 43 seconds.

SwissUtra 2022 marked the fifth event of its kind since 2016 and Thanh Vu was the first Vietnamese athlete to have registered in the competition.

Thanh Vu has become the first Vietnamese in history to complete and win the Deca-Triathlon World Championship. — Photo SwissUltra

The 32-year-old athlete had studied in Singapore, Canada, and the UK before working for the Bloomberg News Agency in Singapore. Thanh Vu gave up her job in 2015 and started to participate in various sports challenges.

Thanh Vu was the first Asian runner to conquer four deserts including the Sahara, Gobi, Atacama, and South Pole with a total length of 1,000 kilometres at the Four Deserts Grand Slam 2017. She also completed 522 kilometres of desert running in Australia, 230 kilometres through the North Pole, and 273 kilometres through the Canyon Mountain in North America in the past six years.