The 28th Southeast Asian Games, which closed at Singapore's newnational stadium on June 16, was a success for Vietnam's sportsmen andwomen.
The team won 73 gold, 53 silver and 60 bronze medals to rank third in the medals table, exceeding the target of 56-65 golds.
Most gold medals were won in Olympic events, easily the ratio won at the Games two years ago in Myanmar.
Thethree key events were swimming (10 golds), athletics (11 golds) andgymnastics (nine golds). Other events such as rowing (nine golds),fencing (eight golds), taekwondo (five golds) and shooting (four golds)are also crowned their success.
According to Tran Duc Phan,Deputy Director of the National Sports Administration andChef-de-mission of Vietnam for the Singapore Games, the success was aresult of the administration's investment in about 50 athletes, who willaim to go further at big events in athletics, swimming, gymnastics,shooting and weightlifting.
"We've changed the developmentdirection to bigger events such as the Asian Games (ASIAD) and theOlympics, instead of regional events. That is the reason why Olympicevents have received investment. Nutrition and health care at nationalsports training centres have also been improved," Phan added.
With eight golds and eight SEA Games records, 18-year-old swimmer Nguyen Thi Anh Vien was the star of the Games for Vietnam.
Coach Dang Anh Tuan said that after her performance at the Games, the Can Tho-born swimmer would be close to ASIAD medals.
"Vienmade two big breakthroughs. Her results in the women's 200m and 400mfreestyle exceeded ASIAD bronze medals. Her result of 4:8.66 in the 400mfreestyle was only a second less than the gold medal at the lastASIAD," said Tuan.
"With Vien's ability, she can triumph at continental events and can reach the final rounds of world events," Tuan added.
In addition to outstanding results in swimming, the track and field team were also a high point for Vietnam group at the Games.
NguyenThi Huyen won two individual and one team gold medal for Vietnam,booking an official berth at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in Brazil.
Huyenfinished on top in the women's 400m hurdles final on June 10 with atime of 56.15 seconds, breaking the 20-year Games record of 56.78 set byThailand's Srithoa Reawadee in the Philippines.
She also went onto take top honours in the women's 400m on June 12. She clocked a finaltime of 52.00 seconds, smashing the Games record and meeting the 2016Olympic standard for the event.
Nguyen Van Lai broke the 22-yearSEA Games record in the men's 5,000m, clocking a final time of 14:04.82,smashing the previous record of 14:08.97 set by Malaysia's RamachandranMurusamy at the 1993 SEA Games in Singapore.
The Vietnameseathletics team also broke a 24 year-old SEA Games record in the women's4x400m relay. They finished first in a time of 3:31.46 to break the oldrecord of 3:35.53 set by Thai runners at the 1991 Games in thePhilippines.
According to athletics coach Nguyen Trong Ho,Vietnam's silver medals also made an impression at the Games. Bui ThuThao clinched a silver in the women's long jump with her best jump of6.65m, more than 10 centimetres further than the 6.55m achieved by ASIADgold medalist Maria Natalia Londa of Indonesia.
Vietnam sentonly 392 athletes to compete in 28 out of 36 events at the SingaporeGames, compared to the 500-700 athletes in previous events. Thailand andSingapore sent more than 1,000 athletes each, with Indonesia at 700 andMalaysia at 600.
Vietnam performed outstandingly at the regionalevent, but to compete at continental and international events, thenation needs more from leaders, coaches and athletes.
For the31st SEA Games which is scheduled to be held in Vietnam in 2021, PrimeMinister Nguyen Tan Dung has entrusted the Ministry of Culture, Sportsand Tourism to coordinate with relevant agencies to organise theGames.-VNA
The team won 73 gold, 53 silver and 60 bronze medals to rank third in the medals table, exceeding the target of 56-65 golds.
Most gold medals were won in Olympic events, easily the ratio won at the Games two years ago in Myanmar.
Thethree key events were swimming (10 golds), athletics (11 golds) andgymnastics (nine golds). Other events such as rowing (nine golds),fencing (eight golds), taekwondo (five golds) and shooting (four golds)are also crowned their success.
According to Tran Duc Phan,Deputy Director of the National Sports Administration andChef-de-mission of Vietnam for the Singapore Games, the success was aresult of the administration's investment in about 50 athletes, who willaim to go further at big events in athletics, swimming, gymnastics,shooting and weightlifting.
"We've changed the developmentdirection to bigger events such as the Asian Games (ASIAD) and theOlympics, instead of regional events. That is the reason why Olympicevents have received investment. Nutrition and health care at nationalsports training centres have also been improved," Phan added.
With eight golds and eight SEA Games records, 18-year-old swimmer Nguyen Thi Anh Vien was the star of the Games for Vietnam.
Coach Dang Anh Tuan said that after her performance at the Games, the Can Tho-born swimmer would be close to ASIAD medals.
"Vienmade two big breakthroughs. Her results in the women's 200m and 400mfreestyle exceeded ASIAD bronze medals. Her result of 4:8.66 in the 400mfreestyle was only a second less than the gold medal at the lastASIAD," said Tuan.
"With Vien's ability, she can triumph at continental events and can reach the final rounds of world events," Tuan added.
In addition to outstanding results in swimming, the track and field team were also a high point for Vietnam group at the Games.
NguyenThi Huyen won two individual and one team gold medal for Vietnam,booking an official berth at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in Brazil.
Huyenfinished on top in the women's 400m hurdles final on June 10 with atime of 56.15 seconds, breaking the 20-year Games record of 56.78 set byThailand's Srithoa Reawadee in the Philippines.
She also went onto take top honours in the women's 400m on June 12. She clocked a finaltime of 52.00 seconds, smashing the Games record and meeting the 2016Olympic standard for the event.
Nguyen Van Lai broke the 22-yearSEA Games record in the men's 5,000m, clocking a final time of 14:04.82,smashing the previous record of 14:08.97 set by Malaysia's RamachandranMurusamy at the 1993 SEA Games in Singapore.
The Vietnameseathletics team also broke a 24 year-old SEA Games record in the women's4x400m relay. They finished first in a time of 3:31.46 to break the oldrecord of 3:35.53 set by Thai runners at the 1991 Games in thePhilippines.
According to athletics coach Nguyen Trong Ho,Vietnam's silver medals also made an impression at the Games. Bui ThuThao clinched a silver in the women's long jump with her best jump of6.65m, more than 10 centimetres further than the 6.55m achieved by ASIADgold medalist Maria Natalia Londa of Indonesia.
Vietnam sentonly 392 athletes to compete in 28 out of 36 events at the SingaporeGames, compared to the 500-700 athletes in previous events. Thailand andSingapore sent more than 1,000 athletes each, with Indonesia at 700 andMalaysia at 600.
Vietnam performed outstandingly at the regionalevent, but to compete at continental and international events, thenation needs more from leaders, coaches and athletes.
For the31st SEA Games which is scheduled to be held in Vietnam in 2021, PrimeMinister Nguyen Tan Dung has entrusted the Ministry of Culture, Sportsand Tourism to coordinate with relevant agencies to organise theGames.-VNA
