Vietnamese athletics athletes at SEA Games 29 (Photo: VNA) KualaLumpur (VNA) – Athletics athletes’ achievements at the SEA Games 29have lived up to expectations and made up for other sports participated in byVietnam, said Tran Duc Phan, who headed the Vietnamese team at the event inKuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from August 19-30.
Vietnamwas ranked first in the SEA Games 29’s medal table for athletics with a totalof 17 gold medals. Thailand and Malaysia came in second and third with nine andeight gold medals, respectively.
Inan interview with the Vietnam News Agency, Phan, who is also Deputy Director ofthe General Department of Sports and Physical Training, said Vietnamese runnershave achieved a breakthrough.
Vietnam’sdelegation to SEA Games 29 had 681 members, with 472 athletes competing in 32out of 38 sports at the event. The country finished with 58 gold medals,compared to her goal of between 49 and 59 gold medals.
Theteam competed in its last event on August 30, with only weightlifter Hoang TanTai participating in the men’s 85kg. Tai secured a bronze medal after lifting322kg in total; Malaysian and Thai athletes won the gold and silver medals withrespective lifts of 337kg and 323kg.
Weightlifter Hoang Tan Tai at SEA Games 29 (Photo: VNA) Phannoted more than 90 percent of gold medals seized by Vietnam this season belongto the Olympic sports category, adding that the figure for the last SEA Gameswas 87 percent.
Itmeans Vietnam is on a right track in facilitating athletes’ preparation for the2018 Asian Games and 2020 Summer Olympics’ qualification round.-VNA
VNA
