VIENTIANE, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- Lao athletics team is hoping to bring home medals from the track and field events at the 29th SEA Games hosted by Malaysia on August 19-31.
The Lao team is comprised of eight men and four women, all ready to compete in 18 out of the 47 track and field events at the 29th regional games, Lao Amateur Athletics Federation Secretary General Sithixay Sackpraseuth said on Tuesday.
The Lao team will travel to Malaysia on Thursday.
According to Sithixay, the Lao athletes are more skilled and developed this year, and the best female runners, namely Manivanh Chanthavong and Lodkeo Inthakoumman, both are certainties for the team given their past international experience.
Lodkeo is a professional runner and she succeeded in the women's 21km event at Vientiane International Half Marathon in March. At the 17th ASEAN University Games in Indonesia in 2014, Lodkeo won a gold in the women's 10,000 meters, a silver in the women's 5,000 meters and a bronze in the women's 1,500 meters.
Manivanh will no doubt compete in the women's 100 meters hurdles along with shot-put, discus, javelin, long jump, 200 meters and high jump at the 29th SEA Games, while Lodkeo's favoured events are the women's 1,500, 5,000 and 10,000 meters.
At the 27th SEA Games in Myanmar in 2013, the Lao team won two bronze medals.
Next year, the Lao Amateur Athletics Federation will support the staging of track and field events at the 11th National Games to be hosted by northern Xieng Khuang province. Enditem
