Viet Nam finished first at the eighth Southeast Asian youth athletics championships that ended on Saturday at Thong Nhat Stadium, HCM City.

The nation's athletes won 26 gold medals, 26 silvers and 25 bronzes to dominate the medal table.

Many new faces showed bright prospects, such as Nguyen Van Hao in the boys' long jump and triple-jump events, Vuong Thi Tuyen in the girls' 100m hurdle event, Le Trong Hinh in the boys' 100m event and Nguyen Thi Hoai Nhi in the girls' high-jump event.

Thailand came second with 17 gold medals, 18 silvers and 11 bronzes. Indonesia came third with nine gold medals, three silvers and eight bronzes.

Malaysia and Singapore were in fourth and fifth places, while Philippines finished last. Its athletes did not win any medals.

The championship, the second held in HCM City, attracted more than 200 young athletes from seven countries. — VNS