ASIAD 2018: Vietnam wins more silver and bronze medals

Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnamese swimmer Nguyen Huy Hoang won a silver medal at the men’s 1,500m freestyle event on August 24 at the ongoing Asian Games (ASIAD) 2018 in Indonesia.

Finishing at 15:01.63, Hoang lost the gold medal to his Chinese rival Sun Yang who completed the race at 14:58.53.

Overall, Hoang remains the most successful swimmer of Vietnam at ASIAD 2018. Previously on August 22, he bagged a bronze medal in the men’s 800m freestyle event.

Also on August 24, Duong Thi Thanh Minh brought home a bronze medal in the women’s Ne-waza Ju-Jitsu 49kg event.

This is the first time Vietnam has earned a medal in a Ju-Jitsu event, as well as the first time this sport is included in ASIAD. The medal also marks the first major success from Minh, who used to be a Judo athlete.

According to head coach of the Vietnamese Ju-Jitsu team Bui Dinh Tien, the sport is not new to the world, but has only been freshly introduced in Vietnam, thus there is a lack of professional training grounds for Vietnamese athletes.

Tien hoped that Minh’s medal will lay a foundation for further success in the future, especially the upcoming SEA Games 2019.

Meanwhile, a technical error deprived gymnast Le Thanh Tung of his medal-winning chances in the men’s vault event, which marked a disappointing end for the Vietnam gymnastics team who will go home empty-handed.

As of 7pm on August 14, Vietnam ranked 16th in the medal tally with one gold, six silver, and nine bronze medals. China kept its first position with 65 gold, 45 silver, and 26 bronze medals, followed by Japan with 29 gold, 29 silver, and 42 bronze medals.–VNA