Swimmer Nguyen Thi Anh Vien takes her Victory Cup trophy for the Best Female Athlete of the Year. It is the third time the swimmer honoured in this event. (Photo courtesy of organisers)Hanoi (VNA) – Swimmer Nguyen Thi Anh Vien won Best Female Athlete of theYear while swimmer Nguyen Huy Hoang was named Best Male Athlete of theYear at the fifth Victory Cup in Hanoi on January 15.
It was Vien’s third victory. The 23-year-old shone at the recent SEA Games withsix gold medals, and she was honoured as one of the two best athletesat the regional sporting event.
Meanwhile, Hoang, 19, finished the year on a high. He took two SEA Gamesgolds and two records. He also qualified for the Olympics in the men’s 800m and1,500m events.
Young Athlete of the Year went to swimmer Tran Hung Nguyen, 16. Nguyen,who has competed professionally for two years, took two titles and set onerecord in the Manila Games.
The success of the athletes means coaches are often overlooked, but notyesterday.
Coach Tran Van Sy took the limelight for winning five golds among the 16 Vietnamwon at the SEA Games. His athletes also won five silvers and one bronze.
Football coach Park Hang-seo overcame two other candidates to win Best ForeignCoach of the Year. It was his second time in a row winningthe prestigious award.
Park is currently in Thailand with the U23 team competing at the AsianChampionships. In 2019, he guided Vietnam to the quarter-finals of theAsian Cup, top place in the ongoing 2022 World Cup qualification’s Group G, anda first SEA Games gold medal.
The South Korean promised to do his best for the development offootball in Vietnam.
At the ceremony, organisers also honoured javelin thrower Cao Ngoc Hungas the Best Disabled Athlete of the Year.
Hung finished fourth at the World Para Athletics Championships in the UAEin November. The result was enough to earn him a slot at the Tokyo Paralympicsthis year.
He also took a gold in javelin, asilver in discus and a bronze in the shot put at the Para Grand Prix inChina in May.
Other awardsincluded Favourite Athlete, Best Sporting Image, Team of the Year andLifetime Achievement.
“Vietnamese athletesmade remarkable achievements in 2019 including international medals, fourTokyo Olympics slots and a brilliant performance at the 30th SEA Games,” said Tran Duc Phan,deputy head of the Vietam Sports Administration.
The Victory Cup is a worthy prize to recognise their contributions. It will bemotivation for them to reach further and they deserve to receive thishonour, he said./.
VNA
