Easily clearing the initial registered height of 1.55m, Mai Ngọc Ánh continued to conquer 1.60m and 1.65m. Mai Ngọc Ánh was one of five athletes, along with representatives from China, Kuwait, India, and Kazakhstan, to raise the bar to 1.69m to attempt. However, only Mai Ngọc Ánh and China's Dong Jialing successfully cleared it.
Mai Ngọc Ánh wins the first medal for Vietnamese athletics at the U18 Asian Championships
When the bar was raised to 1.73m, Ngọc Ánh was unsuccessful, while Dong Jialing cleared it on her first attempt. With this result, Ngọc Ánh won the silver medal with a height of 1.69m, and Dong Jialing won the gold medal with 1.73m. Mai Ngọc Ánh previously won the gold medal in the women's high jump at the 2024 Southeast Asian Youth Championships.
In other events, Lương Thị Khan finished 4th in the 3000m with a time of 10'27"43. The gold medal in this event went to Uzbekistan's Silchenkova with a time of 9'45"17. The other member of the Vietnamese athletics team participating in the tournament, Lê Thị Thảo, finished 6th in the women's 400m hurdles with a time of 1'06"60. The champion in this event was the UAE's Kareem with a time of 59"55.
The 2025 U18 Asian Athletics Championships bring together the continent's top young talents, competing in a diverse range of events for both men and women. Vietnam's athletics team includes Mai Ngọc Ánh, Lương Thị Khan, and Lê Thị Thảo, who are currently the three most outstanding U18 female athletes participating in the high jump, 3000m, and 400m hurdles events, respectively.
This is a valuable opportunity for young Vietnamese athletes to compete in an international environment, hone their competitive mentality, and prepare for major competitions such as the SEA Games, ASIAD, and further on, the Olympic arena.
Men's events include: 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 3000m, 110m hurdles, 400m hurdles, 2000m steeplechase, 5000m walk, mixed relay, high jump, pole vault, long jump, triple jump, shot put, discus throw, hammer throw, decathlon.
Women's events include: 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 3000m, 100m hurdles, 400m hurdles, 2000m steeplechase, 5000m walk, mixed relay, high jump, pole vault, long jump, triple jump, shot put, discus throw, hammer throw, javelin throw, heptathlon.
Ha Phuong