Over the top: Vu Van Huyen performs at the National Athletics Championships in Ha Noi on Monday. He won gold in the men's pole-vault event. — VNA/VNS Photo Manh Linh

HA NOI (VNS)— Thanh Hoa Province's Quach Thi Lan on Monday stepped to the podium for the second time at the National Athletics Championships in Ha Noi.

Lan, 17, topped the women's 400m event with a time of 53.225sec. Her result was much better the result that helped Thai Treewadee Yongphan grab a gold medal at last year Southeast Asian Games.

Lan easily beat Nguyen Thi Thuy of the Ha Noi hosts who dominated the event for five years in a row.

"I am really happy because of the success. It is also a surprise because I have not achieved so much before," said Lan who has been training for about three years, but practised the 400m for only three months before the championships.

Thuy praised Lan's effort: "She well ran in the last metres and I could not catch up with her."

Some days ago, Lan won a gold and set a record in the 400m hurdle.

Her older brother Quach Cong Lich also triumphed in the men's 400m, finishing in 48.09. Last year Lich won a bronze medal.

At the men's pole-vault event, Vu Van Huyen failed to set a new record due to a pole problem.

Huyen of the Military team made it to 4.80m and expected to fly over 4.90m in his next attempt. However the pole seemed out of order and the game was delayed. The interruption obviously affected Huyen. He failed all three attempts.

However it was enough for the soldier to take his title.

"It is regretted that I missed the record. It made me unsatisfied because I usually conquered 4.95m during training," Huyen said.

Quang Ngai's Pham Thi Binh earned her second gold in the women's 10,000m. Her first was in the marathon event on Saturday.

The women's 4x100m title went to Nam Dinh who defeated defending champion An Giang with a time of 45.86. The men's gold went to the Military team.

In other events, Kim Thi Tien from Soc Trang won the women's discus throw (41.09m); Cao Thi Hang topped the women's 100m hurdle (14.06sec); Nguyen Ngoc Quang finished first in the men's 100m hurdle (14.27) and Nguyen Van Hung took a gold in the men's triple jump (16.12m). — VNS