Tran Le Quoc Toan of Vietnam successfully pocketed a bronze medal from the World Weightlifting Championships in Paris on Nov. 6.
Toan competed in the men's 56kg category. He lifted 125kg in the snatch event and ranked third after China 's Wu Jingbiao and Zhao Chaojun, who took the gold and silver medals with 133kg and 128kg, respectively.
The 22-year-old athlete lifted 150kg in the clean and jerk event to achieve a fourth place finish overall of 275kg, coming in just 1kg behind bronze medallist Hristov Valentine of Bulgaria.
Toan is expected to receive a bye for the London Olympics next summer, after such a strong performance in his international debut.
Vietnam 's other serious competitor, Thach Kim Tuan, failed to break into the top three despite promising results in training.
Tuan regularly lifts 132kg at home in the snatch event, but managed only 125kg in Paris during his second attempt.
The Asian youth champion similarly lost in the clean and jerk event when he tried to lift 151kg, though he has been known to reach 155kg in practice.
Tuan and Toan will fly home and continue to train for the upcoming Southeast Asian Games, where they are considered gold medal contenders.
The weightlifting portion of the SEA Games will be held from November 18-21 at the Dempo Sport Complex in Palembang , Indonesia. /.
Toan competed in the men's 56kg category. He lifted 125kg in the snatch event and ranked third after China 's Wu Jingbiao and Zhao Chaojun, who took the gold and silver medals with 133kg and 128kg, respectively.
The 22-year-old athlete lifted 150kg in the clean and jerk event to achieve a fourth place finish overall of 275kg, coming in just 1kg behind bronze medallist Hristov Valentine of Bulgaria.
Toan is expected to receive a bye for the London Olympics next summer, after such a strong performance in his international debut.
Vietnam 's other serious competitor, Thach Kim Tuan, failed to break into the top three despite promising results in training.
Tuan regularly lifts 132kg at home in the snatch event, but managed only 125kg in Paris during his second attempt.
The Asian youth champion similarly lost in the clean and jerk event when he tried to lift 151kg, though he has been known to reach 155kg in practice.
Tuan and Toan will fly home and continue to train for the upcoming Southeast Asian Games, where they are considered gold medal contenders.
The weightlifting portion of the SEA Games will be held from November 18-21 at the Dempo Sport Complex in Palembang , Indonesia. /.
