Nguyễn Huy Hoàng wins Việt Nam two titles from the 11th Asian Aquatics Championships in India. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Swimmer Nguyễn Huy Hoàng sealed his golden double at the 11th Asian Aquatics Championships on Wednesday in India, winning his second title of the tournament.

The Paris Olympic participant claimed victory in the men’s 800m freestyle with a time of 7min 57.58sec. Racing from lane seven against strong rivals from Malaysia, Thailand, Japan and the hosts, Hoàng led from the start and held off a late surge from 17-year-old Xu Haibo of China.

Despite the pressure, Hoàng, who has collected numerous regional titles since his Youth Olympic gold in 2018, finished strongly to top the podium for the second time. Ilya Sibirtsev of Uzbekistan took silver in 8:00.37, while Xu settled for bronze in 8:02.34 after fading in the final metres.

Hoàng’s first gold came in the men’s 1,500m freestyle two days earlier, making him the first Vietnamese swimmer to win two titles at the Asian championships.

In the women’s events, young swimmer Nguyễn Khả Nhi won silver in the 400m freestyle with a time of 4:25.50, behind Japan’s Haruno Tanimoto on 4:16.39. Bhavya Sachdeva of India took bronze in 4:26.89.

Two other Vietnamese athletes, Nguyễn Quang Thuấn in the men’s 200m butterfly and Võ Thị Mỹ Tiên in the women’s 200m butterfly, fell short of the podium.

With two golds, seven silvers and six bronzes, Việt Nam placed fourth in the swimming medal tally. — VNS