Vietnamese weightlifter Tran Le Quoc Toan has ranked in the top three of the men's 56kg division following the latest rankings issued by the International Weightlifting Federation.

It's the highest ever ranking a Vietnamese weightlifter has reached in the men's division.

Toan had a successful year in 2011, bagging a host of medals including a gold in the Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia and a bronze medal in the World Weightlifting Championships in Paris last November.

The 27-year-old also won a bronze medal with a 125kg snatch in the World Weightlifting Championships, but finished fourth with a 275kg total lift. He beat his personal best in the SEA Games to win the gold medal with a 280kg total lift.

Thai wins stage at Ben Tre cycling

Dang Thanh Thai pushed through a final sprint yesterday to win the third stage of the Ben Tre Television Cup, which has seen intense competition between world class cyclists.

The Hau Giang native clocked a top speed of 39.253kmh during the 160km race from Vi Thanh City in his home province to Can Tho City, a journey that he completed in 4hr 4.34min.

In this stage Phan Thong Nhan of Can Tho and Tran Le Minh Tuan of the Army were second and third, respectively.

Though Thai triumphed, his team still trails race leader Military Zone 7 after three stages with a combined time of 29:14.33. Domesco Pharmacy Dong Thap 1 and ADC-Vinh Long Television rose to second and third.

Today, 70 racers from 14 premier clubs nationwide continue on to the next leg, a 130km race from Can Tho City to Ben Tre City.

Tien Minh out of Super Series

Viet Nam's top badminton player Nguyen Tien Minh lost to Japan's Kenichi Tago 1-2 in the first round of Super Series South Korea Open, which is scheduled to run through January 8.

World No 8 Minh beat his rival 21-19 in the first set, but Tago, ranked 12th, prevailed in the two remaining sets with the results 10-21 and 9-21.

Last year, the 29-year-old was also ejected from this tournament when he was defeated by China's Chen Long.

Minh will compete at the Malaysia Open Super Series 2012 on January 10-15. — VNS