Tien explained that gender testing is a requirement for all female athletes, not just her. The hurdler from the southern Vinh Long Province provided a sample for gender testing and submitted the results to World Athletics (WA).

The Vietnam Athletics Federation confirmed that Tien’s results met the necessary requirements, allowing her to compete in accordance with regulations.

The WA medical department has conducted gender testing on over 2,000 athletes worldwide who participate in the tournament. WA uses the SRY gene testing method, which determines male gender. Female athletes must take this test at least once in their career through cheek swabs or dried blood. Any athlete testing positive for the SRY gene (indicating male gender) will be disqualified from female competitions, except in cases of gender development disorders (DSD) where athletes can still compete without relying on testosterone.

Tien is the only representative from Vietnam at the 2025 World Championships in Japan. The event will be held from Sept. 13 to 21 in Tokyo, with her 100 m hurdles qualifying round scheduled for Sept. 14.

In May, Tien competed at the Asian Athletics Championships in South Korea, where she clocked 13.51 seconds in the qualifying round. In the final, she finished seventh with a time of 13.69 seconds.

At the national athletics tournament in Da Nang, Tien won a gold medal with a time of 13.52 seconds, just shy of her personal best of 13.38 seconds. The current national record for the women’s 100 m hurdles remains with Vu Bich Huong, who set the mark at 13.36 seconds in 1999.

The qualification standard for the women’s 100 m hurdles at the world championships is 12.73 seconds. Even Asian champion Jyothi Yarraji (India), who recently broke the continental record with 12.96 seconds, still has not met the qualification requirement for Tokyo.

Tien, 26, was banned from competition for two years after leaving her locality against regulations. Since 2023, she has been part of Dong Nai Province’s athletics team. At SEA Games 32 in Cambodia, she won a gold medal in the 100 m hurdles with a time of 13.50 seconds. While competing in the world championships will be a tough challenge for the 26-year-old, it serves as valuable preparation for the upcoming SEA Games 33 in Thailand.

In addition to her athletic achievements, Tien has attracted attention for her height of nearly 1.7 m, slim figure and six-pack abs.