DA NANG (VNS)— Vo Thi Kieu bagged the first gold medal for Viet Nam in the curtain-raiser of Asian Finswimming Championships at Da Nang's swimming club yesterday.

Kieu, 20, swam in 14min 9.14sec in the women's 1,500m surface (with snorkel) to beat Japanese Yamaoka Akina (14:25.29) and Indonesian Priscillia Gunawan (14:41.90).

In the men's, Chinese Taipei's Yang Ping Hua finished first in 12:49.95 to win gold, with Vietnamese Bui Dinh Kha second in 13:22.73 and Hans Yosaputra from Indonesia third in 13:31.90.

Chinese athletes dominated in the women's 100m surface, Liang Yaoyue and Liu Simin finishing first and second respectively. South Korea's Choi Sae-rom bagged bronze.

Korean Lee Kwan-ho and Jang Hyoung-ho pocketed gold and silver in the men's 100m surface, while Chinese Jian Ka took bronze.

HCM City-born Vo Thi Thanh Vy earned bronze in 51.30sec in the women's 100m bi-fins behind Kim Gain of South Korea, who won gold in 50.70, and China's Zhang Xuan, who took silver in 51.28.

Kim Gwang-mo also from South Korea broke his own Asian record yesterday when he finished the men's 100m bi-fins division in 43.21, shaving 0.72sec) of a second off the old record set last year.

China's Xu Yichuan and Xin Peiyao dominated in the women's 400m immersion (with oxygen flask) finishing first and second.

Korean Kim Jeong-yun came third.

The championships, which have drawn 159 athletes from 11 teams competing in senior and junior divisions, closes tomorrow.

Viet Nam Aquatic Sport Association official Nguyen Thi Thu Hang said the organising committee was doing random doping tests at the championship. — VNS