Weightlifting

Asian champion Lại Gia Thành and his teammates face demanding tasks at the Asian Championships in April and the Asian Games in September. Photo courtesy of Gia Thành

HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese weightlifters are targeting medals at a series of major international competitions this year, with the long-term objective of securing qualification berths for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

The most important event on the calendar is the 20th Asian Games (ASIAD), held every four years, which will take place in September in Japan.

Despite their strong regional reputation, Việt Nam’s weightlifting team have yet to win a gold medal at the ASIAD and finished empty-handed at the previous Games in China, making medal success this year a top priority.

At this year’s Asian Games, there will be eight weight categories for men, ranging from 60kg to over 110kg, and eight for women, from 48kg to over 86kg.

Head coach Nguyễn Mạnh Thắng said he has competitive athletes across all classes and expects them to rise to the challenge.

Among the medal hopes are Asian bronze medallist Quàng Thị Tâm, Asian and SEA Games champion Lại Gia Thành, Paris Olympian Trịnh Văn Vinh, Asian junior silver medal holder Dương Tuấn Kiệt and SEA Games winner Trần Đình Thắng.

"All of the tournaments are important to our squad. We have to work hard to earn the highest results, and we do not want to miss any medal opportunities at the upcoming ASIAD,” Thắng said.

"We have learnt many lessons from the 33rd SEA Games, which will be used to improve the team's quality and ability. However, the SEA Games are very different from the ASIAD, where the level of competition is significantly higher.”

Thắng noted that medals this year will be awarded only for the snatch and the clean and jerk, with no medals for overall totals. The regulation change could benefit Vietnamese lifters, but he stressed that success will still depend on precise tactics in both training and competition.

Before heading to Japan, the team will compete at the Asian Weightlifting Championships in April in India, a final major test before the ASIAD.

Road to Los Angeles

Nguyễn Huy Hùng, an official at the Weightlifting Department under the Sports Authority of Việt Nam (SAV), said the qualification system for the 2028 Olympics and 12 weight categories for both men and women have already been announced.

For men, categories range from 65kg to over 110kg, while women will compete from 53kg to over 86kg.

The IWF World Senior Championships 2026 in October in China will be the first qualifier. After that, Asian athletes will compete for Olympic places in 10 additional qualifying events between 2026 and 2028.

Hùng noted that the ASIAD and the world championships are scheduled close together, requiring the coaching staff to design careful preparation plans to ensure peak performance at both events.

He confirmed that the SAV plans to sign a contract with a foreign coach from North Korea, a major Asian weightlifting hub, to improve the quality of the national team.

Trịnh Văn Vinh has returned to the national team and is targeting another Olympic berth. Photo courtesy of SAV.

Olympic ambitions

Among Việt Nam’s lifters, Trịnh Văn Vinh is expected to play a key role, having already earned an Olympic place for Paris 2024.

Vinh is a former world champion, winning in the 61kg class at age 22. He recently switched to the 65kg class after the 61kg weight was eliminated from the world major events.

Despite an unexpected result in the 2025 national championships that caused him to lose his spot on the 33rd SEA Games squad, he remains a dedicated member of the national team in 2026, preparing for the ASIAD, Asian championships and Olympics.

"I learned and grew from my failure. I will not repeat the same mistakes, and I have promised myself to deliver positive results at every tournament,” said Vinh, widely regarded as a resilient lifter with significant potential. — VNS