Hanoi (VNA) – With a total score of 1,286, sharpshooter Trinh Thu Vinh has been crowned Vietnam’s most outstanding athlete of 2024 in a national poll organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism along with various sports committees.
The annual poll, first conducted in 1978, involved over 200 sport journalists nationwide voting to select the top 10 athletes, five coaches, and three squads, as well as notable figures in sports for the disabled, including five athletes and three coaches. The Sports Authority of Vietnam announced the results on the evening of December 26.
Accordingly, Vinh had a standout year, securing a gold medal at the Asian Shooting Championships and finishing in the top four in the women’s 10m air pistol event at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The second and third spots in the top athlete category went to billiards player Tran Quyet Chien and volleyball player Nguyen Thi Bich Tuyen, respectively.
In the coach-of-the-year category, national women’s volleyball team coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet topped the list with 482 points, followed by billiards coach Nguyen Viet Hoa with 380 points and women’s futsal coach Nguyen Dinh Hoang with 221 points.
The national women’s indoor volleyball squad was honoured as the outstanding team of 2024, receiving 341 points. They were followed by the national women’s futsal team with 215 points, and the 4x400m women’s relay team with 196 points.
In the category of outstanding athletes with disabilities, powerlifter Le Van Cong topped the list with 538 points. He was followed by female powerlifter Chau Hoang Tuyet Loan with 343 points and swimmer Le Tien Dat with 229 points. Weightlifting coach Le Quang Thai, meanwhile, was placed first in the coach rankings with 315 points./.
