HO CHI MINH CITY, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- Over 8,000 athletes from 49 countries and regions will take part in a marathon tournament slated for Jan. 14, 2018 in Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City.

The runners include Olympic gold medalist Naoko Takahashi from , and Southeast Asian (SEA) Games champions Soh Rui Yong from Singapore and Mary Joy Tabal from the , the Ho Chi Minh City Athletics Federation said Thursday.

Takahashi, now aged 45, became Asia's first woman athlete to have won an Olympic gold medal for marathon in 2000 Sydney Olympics. She also broke a world record in 2001.

Yong grabbed a marathon gold medal in the men's event at the 29th SEA Games in August in Malaysia, and Tabal bagged home a marathon gold medal in the women's event.