The province’s newest sports team has 10 athletes training in aquathlon, which combines a 500-metre swim with a 2,500-metre run.
The approach allows the squad to build fitness and skills before progressing to more demanding events.
Triathlon requires athletes to swim, cycle and run consecutively. Its equipment costs, particularly for specialised bicycles, present a challenge for Gia Lai, where the sport remains at an early stage and participation is fragmented.
Nguyễn Đình Nhật Nam, a swimming coach at the Provincial Centre for Sports Training and Competition, has therefore prioritised aquathlon as a practical starting point.
Despite limited training time and modest investment, Gia Lai athletes won one silver and two bronze medals at the 2025 National Triathlon Club Championships.
They followed that with one gold, two silvers and one bronze at the 2026 National Youth and U23 Triathlon Championships.
Among the team’s leading athletes is Hồ Nguyễn Nam, born in 2008, who began swimming at 11 and won multiple medals at national youth swimming and club championships.
After moving into aquathlon, he earned bronze at both the 2025 National Triathlon Club Championships and the 2026 National Youth and U23 Triathlon Championships.
The transition has required athletes to adapt to running immediately after swimming. Huỳnh Tuấn Thành, born in 2009, said he initially struggled with fatigue at the start of the run. Continued training had helped him manage the workload, complete the coach’s exercises and improve his performance.
Coach Nam said the team’s immediate priority was to prepare thoroughly for the 2026 National Sports Games, with hopes focused on the men’s, women’s and mixed team events.
The Games will take place in Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu, where Gia Lai athletes competed in the 2025 National Triathlon Club Championships. The coaching staff plans to take the squad there early to familiarise athletes with the course, weather and competition conditions.
Under the Games’ regulations, only delegations that fielded athletes at the 2025 National Triathlon Club Championships are eligible to enter. Gia Lai’s participation in that competition secured its eligibility for this year’s Games.
Triathlon is appearing on the National Sports Games programme for only the second time. Gia Lai faces competitors from localities including Ho Chi Minh City, Khánh Hòa and Đà Nẵng, which have invested heavily in the sport for years.
Differences in squad strength, training experience and preparation remain a challenge for the developing team.
Gia Lai is setting measured expectations for the Games, viewing the competition as an opportunity for its young athletes to demonstrate their progress after a relatively short period of training.