Weightlifting

Trần Minh Trí on his way to winning gold at the Asian Weightlifting Championships 2025 in China. Photos from Việt Nam Sports Team

By Thanh Hà

Trần Minh Trí applied chalk powder on his hands, adjusted his belt and took a deep breath. He picked up the barbell, brought it up to his chest, paused, extended his arms and legs to lift it above his head with a straight elbow and held it until the buzzer sounded.

Three white lights came on, and the judge recognised it as a successful lift of 172kg in clean and jerk.

The result, plus his previous 146kg in the snatch, made Trí the Asian champion of the men's 67kg category with a total lift of 318kg.

He overcame all his strongest continental rivals, including favourite Zheng Xinhao of China, in the last attempt.

Trí, who also grabbed two silvers in the snatch and clean and jerk, could not hide his emotions while celebrating with his crew.

"Finally, I have made it. Thank you! This victory is for my coaches and teammates for supporting and encouraging me," Trí said.

At 21, Trí was the youngest competitor in his weight class but did not disappoint everyone's expectations, even though it was his first time participating in the Asian competition.

But it was the second time that Trí had made such a remarkable achievement in a debut.

Trần Minh Trí (centre) on the top podium for the Asian men's 67kg class. Photos of Việt Nam Sports Team

In the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia, he lifted 176kg in the clean and jerk, breaking the Games record and winning gold with a total lift of 306kg, exactly 1kg more than his Thai opponent Witsanu Chantri.

The turning point was that prior to his lift, Trí, still a teenager at the time, was in fourth position with 299kg, 6kg less than Chantri. The coaches and athlete discussed together and decided to add 7kg in the last attempt. It was a make or break decision.

Trí prepared for a few seconds and then successfully performed the miraculous lift to complete his mission.

Trí poses with his gold medal and the mascot of the 32nd SEA Games. Photos from Việt Nam Sports Team

"It was an emotional gold. After the unexpected result in the snatch event, I couldn't think about a gold at all. But the coaches strongly believed in and pushed me. I was really determined to do my best and succeed," he recalled.

"That was my first SEA Games title, and it will forever be a beautiful memory in my life."

National coach Huỳnh Hữu Chí praised his athlete.

"Trí is still young but has made rapid progress," Chí said. "He owns a strong competitive mentality and is ambitious and determined to reach a higher level. Today's victory, despite being very surprising, shows Tri's personality and talent. He will still go far in his career if he receives suitable support."

Chí has kept his eyes on Trí through many domestic tournaments since his breakthrough in the 2022 National Sports Games when he won all three gold medals, leaving behind all experienced and senior lifters as well as the defending champion.

After taking his SEA Games crown, Trí became one of the key members of the national team and received strong support for further achievement.

He won three golds at the World Junior Weightlifting Championships last year and five others from the Asian youth, junior and cadet championships in 2023 and 2024.

Trần Minh Trí celebrates his successful lift at the World Junior Weightlifting Championships 2024. Photos from Việt Nam Sports Team

Việt Nam will take part in its most important event of the year at the 33rd SEA Games in December in Thailand.

However, Trí will not have an opportunity to defend his title as the men's 67kg will not be part of the event.

The coaching board is seeking a suitable solution, and Trí may have to adjust in order to take part in the men's 65kg or 71kg category.

Nguyễn Huy Hùng, an official from the Weightlifting Department of the Sports Authority of Việt Nam, said the Asian Championships 2025 was one of two key events considered an important warm-up for the SEA Games.

“We will have plans and make changes if needed for the best preparation for the event. Further, we will develop training methods and competition tactics more suitable for international arenas. Talented athletes will be fully supported in a long-term period to win medals at the Asian Games and Olympics," said Hùng. VNS