Remarkable progress: Southeast Asian Games bronze medallist Pham Thi Binh will take part in the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon on February 5 . — VNA/VNS Photo

HA NOI — Southeast Asian Games bronze medallist Pham Thi Binh will take part in the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon on February 5 hoping to earn a berth at the coming London Olympics.

Binh, who finished first at last month national Ba Ra Mountain race, is the only one athlete from Viet Nam. She is also the first national track and field athlete starting to seek an Olympic ticket.

The 23-year-old runner's best result was 2 hours 48.43 minutes at last November's SEA Games in Indonesia, which won her a bronze medal. At the coming tournament Binh is aiming for a time of 2:43.00. If she achieves this target, she is likely to earn a ticket to the summer Olympics in London.

"It is difficult to be five minutes faster but I ask myself to try my best," said Binh during a telephone interview with Viet Nam News.

"I have been training hard and will not have time to celebrate Tet this year as I have to prepare for the tournament, where I hope to grab a remarkable result," she added.

Binh, who has seen her sporting career progress remarkably during the last two years, is one of seven key Vietnamese track and field athletes who will receive strong support for their quest to compete at the Olympics.

"The tournament is one of the qualifying events for the Olympics, so it will attract many strong opponents making my chances of winning a medal harder, but my target is still to improve my time by five minutes," Binh said.

In Hong Kong, Binh will take part in the Full Marathon Challenge for seniors and masters. The winner of the marathon is set to pocket a US$50,000 cash prize. — VNS