Vuong Thi Huyen and her coach at the event. (Photo from Huyen’s facebook)

The final of the 45kg weight class saw the participation of five athletes, including two Vietnamese, Vuong Thi Huyen and Khong My Phuong. Having won two gold and one silver at the 2019 International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Cup in China last February, Huyen looked promising when returning to China again for the continental championships.

As expected, the 26-year-old female weightlifter grabbed all three gold medals in the set for the 45kg weight class, with 76 kg in Snatch, 92 kg in Clean and Jerk and 168 kg in Total. Huyen’s teammate, My Phuong, won a bronze medal in Snatch with 70 kg and ranked fourth in Total with 157 kg.

As the first Asian qualification event for Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the tournament offers a great opportunity for Huyen and her teammates to accumulate points to win an official ticket to the Games. Huyen also excelled in winning a ticket to the Olympic Games Rio 2016.

Two months ago at the IWF World Cup, Huyen recorded a higher result in Total with 170 kg, even though she had returned to training after the Lunar New Year holiday.

Commenting on his student’s results, coach Nguyen Manh Thang said that though Huyen’s achievements have not fully demonstrated her abilities during training, it was fine as she has just transferred to compete in new 45 kg weight class, instead of the 48 kg class as before.

Collecting the full medal set the at the tournament, Huyen still shows her potential and will continue to be the hope for Vietnamese female weightlifting in the coming key events.

Thach Kim Tuan brings home a bronze in Snatch for men's 61 kg. (Photo: Sina)

Earlier, on April 20, Vietnamese top male weightlifter Thach Kim Tuan brought home a bronze in Snatch for men's 61 kg. After three attempts, Tuan achieved his best result of 136 kg, surpassing Asian record lifter Eko Yuli Irawan from Indonesia to win the bronze medal.

However, in the Clean and Jerk and Total events, Tuan only succeeded with 161 kg, thereby ranking 5th overall with 297 kg in Total. The two Chinese players topped this weight, while Eko won the bronze medal in Total with a result of 299 kg.

The event, held from April 18 to 28, gathers 415 delegates, officials and athletes from 28 countries in Asia.

VNF ( NDO )