Making a splash: Swimmer Vo Thanh Tung will be the first Vietnamese athlete to compete at the London Paralympics today. Tung will compete for a medal in the men's 50m freestyle-S5 event. — VNA/VNS Photo Ngoc Truong

HA NOI — Vo Thanh Tung will be the first Vietnamese athlete competing at the London Paralympics today.

Tung will take part in the men's 50m freestyle-S5, one of four events he hopes to claim a medal in at the London Games.

His time of 35.34sec is the fastest in Asia and ranks him fourth in the world, according to the International Paralympics Committee.

"I am confident because my times during training are consistently under 34sec. I will try my best to win a medal for Viet Nam," said Tung.

The qualifying round is at 17.35 local time, and if Tung is successful, he will advance to the final tomorrow afternoon.

After Tung, powerlifters Nguyen Van Phuc and Nguyen Thi Hong will start their bids in the men's 48kg and women's 40kg categories.

Vietnamese athletes will also compete in track-and-field events later on in the tournament.

This is the third time Viet Nam have sent athletes to the Paralympics, and with 11 team members, the largest delegation so far.

Representatives took part in short training courses in Ireland and the UK before arriving in London.

The Games opened yesterday with Cao Ngoc Hung carrying the Vietnamese flag.

Hung will compete in the men's javelin and shot-put later today.

The quadrennial event has drawn more than 4,200 athletes from 165 countries and territories, who will take part in 20 sports.

It will close on September 9. — VNS