Hanoi, Dec. 18 -- Vietnam secured its first gold medal on December 18 at the 33rd SEA Games following an impressive performance in the men's team relay duathlon event.

The Vietnamese trio of Nguyen Le Hoang Vu, Nguyen Anh Tri and Pham Tien San outpaced strong regional rivals in a tightly contested race. Each athlete completed a 2km run, an 8km cycling leg and a 1km run before handing over to a teammate.

The race was decided in the final leg, when Tien San withstood intense pressure from Indonesia and produced a decisive sprint in the closing metres to cross the line first, sealing a narrow victory for Vietnam.

The gold marked Vietnam's third consecutive SEA Games title in duathlon, providing a strong start to the country's medal haul o...