Viet Nam News
SEA Games/Swimming
HA NOI — The national swimming team will shoulder the responsibility of winning one-sixth of Viet Nam’s total target of 60 gold medals at the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games).
Viet Nam are ready for the competition and will enter 25 swimmers to compete in all 38 swimming disciplines, a record number of competitors.
Nguyen Thi Anh Vien is the country’s main swimming hope, as she is the defending champion in eight categories and holds eight records in the 200m freestyle, 400m freestyle, 800m freestyle, 200m butterfly, 200m breaststroke and 200m backstroke.
During the Games, Vien will compete in 12 events and is expected to win at least 10 of them, the same number won by Vietnamese swimmers in the SEA Games in Singapore two years ago.
Two other events that Vien could win are the 100m freestyle, where she won a silver medal in last SEA Games, and the 50m backstroke where she earned a bronze medal in 2015.
“I am familiar with the pressure of competition. I feel free, and will try my best to win as many medals as possible,” said Vien.
“Recently, her training has placed her in the top position in Asia. I think this is a positive result, after an intensive training regime,” said the national head coach, Dang Anh Tuan.
“Therefore, there is no reason to prevent us from setting a higher target for her in the Malaysian Games. She is now closer to continental and world-class levels,” he added, with regards to his swimmer who had won two silver medals in the Arena Pro Swim Series 2017 in Atlanta in June, in the women’s 400m individual medley and 1,500m freestyle, even though she was not at her best at that time.
“I believe in her, but we must keep our eyes on our rivals. Swimmers like Quah Ting Wen from Singapore, Khoo Cai Lin and Lim Xiang from Malaysia, and Natthanan Junkrajang from Thailand are improving rapidly,” Tuan further added.
While the 20-year old Vien is the only athlete who can win in the women’s categories, Viet Nam also hopes to win titles through several of its male swimmers.
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| Nguyen Thi Anh Vien is expected to win in 10 events in SEA Games. — Photo baodongnai.vn |
Hoang Quy Phuoc will defend his 200m freestyle title while Lam Quang Nhat is the favourite in the 1,500m freestyle event.
Phuoc will be the first Vietnamese swimmer who could win gold medals in four consecutive SEA Games, if he can win this August.
He is also one of the swimmers who has received considerable support from the government, to compete in international competitions. He is currently taking part in a long-term training camp in Hungary, and he recently won a gold medal in the men’s 100m freestyle at an open tournament in Stockholm, Sweden.
Nhat finished his training in Thailand and China last week with positive results, and his coaches believe that he is strong enough to win again.
He will swim in his preferred category with teammate Nguyen Huy Hoang, the winner of the national tournament with a time of 15:30.11, which is faster than the SEA Games record of 15:31.03 that Nhat set in Singapore in 2015.
Another medallist from Viet Nam is Tran Duy Khoi, who bagged a silver medal in the 200m backstroke and two bronze medals in the 100m backstroke and the 400m individual medley.
Vietnamese-American Le Nguyen Paul has worn the Viet Nam national jersey in several tournaments, but it will be his first time to compete in the SEA Games in the men’s backstroke and butterfly events. He is the national champion in the 50m backstroke, 50m butterfly and 100m breaststroke.
“We have made careful preparations for the Games. Apart from key athletes such as Vien, Phuoc and Nhat, there are also young athletes who will be our stars in the near future,” said the head of the Elite Sports Department of the National Sports Administration, Nguyen Trong Ho.
“We aim to win 10 events, but in fact, we can win 12, because our youngsters could shine in Kuala Lumpur,” he added.
The young swimmers who will make their SEA Games debuts are Vu Thi Phuong Anh, Tran Ngoc Thi and Nguyen Huu Kim Son. — AFP