Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam had claimed 125 gold, 76 silver and 74 bronze medals as of May 18 evening, the sixth official competition day of the ongoing SEA Games 31, retaining the top position in the medal table.

The host country is getting closer to its set target of 140 golds.

Thailand ranked second with 53 golds, followed by the Philippines with 37.

On the day, the Vietnamese athletics team won three more gold medals in the women’s javelin throw, women’s 10,000m and women’s 4x400m, raising the number in the sport to 19 and surpassing the target of 15-17.

Runner Nguyen Thi Oanh obtained triple golds in the women’s 1,000m; 5,000m and 3,000m steeplechase, in which she broke her own record set in the previous SEA Games.

Swimmers continued to excite home fans as Ben Tre-born Pham Thanh Bao won the eighth gold for Vietnam in the men’s 50m breaststroke, beating strong rivals from Indonesia and Singapore. It was also his second gold at this year’s Games.

Previously, Nguyen Huy Hoang bagged a gold in the 1,500m freestyle, and triumphed and set a new SEA Games record in the men’s 400m freestyle.

Tran Huy Nguyen did the same in the men’s 400m individual medley.

Vietnamese wrestlers have clinched 12 gold medals so far.

On May 18 afternoon, Nguyen Thi Phuong secured a gold in the women’s individual kata in karate. Of note, it was the 1,000th gold medal for the Vietnamese delegation at the regional sporting events.

SEA Games 31, themed “For a Stronger South East Asia”, is being held in Hanoi and 11 neighbouring provinces and cities until May 23.

It features 40 sports with 523 events, attracting around 10,000 participants. The biennial event was initially slated for late 2021 but delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic./.