HANOI, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- Woman sprinter Truong Thanh Hang has been voted Vietnam's best athlete of 2007, after a year full of title winning and record breaking, local newspaper Vietnam News reported Wednesday.

    Hundreds of local journalists and sports aficionados participated in the vote for the annual award, which has been an indispensable feature of Vietnam's sports for the past 30 years.

    "Being voted Athlete of the Year provides great encouragement and a strong push for me," said the young woman from southern Ho Chi Minh City.

    In July 2007, Hang stunned the continent at the Asian Championships in Jordan by finishing first in the women's 800m event with a time of 2 minutes 4.77 seconds. Three days later, the Vietnamese runner, the only representative from Southeast Asia, took a bronze medal in the 1,500m event.

    She continued her streak at the 24th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Thailand in December 2007, coming away with two gold medals and two records in the women's 800m and 1,500m events.

    Hang originally made a name for herself by winning the Pioneer newspaper's marathon for four straight years, beginning in 2004, but in 2007 she earned acclaim for her sprinting as well.

    In 2006, sepak takraw captain Luu Thi Thanh, who helped Vietnam win two gold medals and one silver medal at the Doha Asian Games in the year, was named Vietnam's most outstanding athlete.