Phuc overcame seven opponents from China, Hong Kong (China), Taiwan (China), India, Malaysia and the Republic of Korea to claim the Asian silver medal, clocking 1:35:26, one minute and 37 seconds slower than top finisher Japanese Kumi Otoshi.
Phuc first came to prominence in this race last year when she ranked third overall in one hour and 35 minutes and qualified as Vietnam’s first Olympic walker.
Phuc’s younger brother, Nguyen Thanh Ngung, also was successful in this year’s competition, finishing fifth in the men’s 20km race with a time of 1:27:30, breaking his own national record of one hour and 36 minutes.
