Powerful swimmer Nguyen Thi Anh Vien, 19, won three gold medals – two individual and one team events – on the first day of competitions at the National Swimming Championships. — Photo vnexpress.net

DA NANG (VNS) — Powerful swimmer Nguyen Thi Anh Vien, 19, won three gold medals – two individual and one team events – on the first day of competitions at the National Swimming Championships.

Vien finished first in the women's 200m backstroke with a time of 2 minutes and 17.15 seconds.

She then bagged another gold in the 200m individual medley, clocking in 2:17.04 faster than runner-up, Nguyen Diep Phuong Tram of HCM City, and Binh Phuoc's Le Thi My Thao, who came third in 2:25.92.

Vien and her teammates grabbed the gold in the women's 4x100m freestyle relay in 4:2.68, beating HCM City and Long An, which came in second and third, respectively.

Earlier, Vien came in second in the 50m breaststroke for a silver medal, just seven hundredths of a second slower than Ngo Thi Ngoc Quynh of Quang Binh, who finished first in 33.55sec.

In the men's 50m breaststroke, Tran Duc Tai of Long An took 29.73sec to win gold, beating off Huynh The Vi of HCM City, who came second, with his fellowman Truong Minh Giau, in third position.

Tran Duy Khoi, 18, from HCM City also bagged three gold medals on the first day, winning the men's 200m backstroke, 400m individual medley, and 4x100m freestyle relay.

Khoi swam the 200m backstroke in 2:5.47 for first place before winning the 400m individual medley.

He then helped HCM City team win gold in the 4x100m freestyle relay with a time of 3: 35.17.

Da Nang's Hoang Quy Phuoc also bagged a gold in the men's 100m freestyle in 50.59sec.

HCM City took the lead in the medal tally with three golds and three silvers, while the Military team were close behind with three gold and two silver medals.

Long An were in third place with one gold, two silvers and three bronzes.

The swimming championships continues today. — VNS