Swimming 

Trần Văn Nguyễn Quốc delivers an exceptional performance, winning multiple gold medals and notably breaking an Asian junior record previously set in 2009. Photo laodong.vn

HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese athletes won 14 gold medals at the 2026 Asian Age Groups Swimming Championships in Thailand, with one swimmer, Trần Văn Nguyễn Quốc, winning five gold medals and setting a new tournament record.

The last gold medal for the team went to Quốc in the 1,500m freestyle event for boys 17-18 years old. The SEA Games champion splashed to the finish in a time of 15min 37.78sec, leaving behind strong rivals from India, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong (China), Chinese Taipei and Kyrgyzstan.

Earlier, he had also won in the 100m freestyle, 200m freestyle, 400m freestyle and 800m freestyle. His time of 3:52.25 in the 400m freestyle was a new tournament record, beating the previous record set in 2009.

Quốc's exceptional performance made him one of the most standout swimmers in Thailand. 

Nguyễn Khả Nhi finished first in the 1,500m freestyle for girls 17-18 years old, taking her second title at the tournament. Her first gold medal was in the 800m freestyle.

In the 1,500m event she clocked a time of 17:14.69, setting a large gap of more than 15sec with her nearest rival, Thitirat Charoensup of Thailand.

Other notable swimmers were Nguyễn Thúy Hiền, who won three golds and set one new national record, as well as Dương Văn Hoàng Quy, Phan Quốc Khánh, Lê Thị Thùy Trang and Nguyễn Ngọc Thủy Tiên, who earned one gold medal each.

In the medal tally, China came out on top with 35 golds, followed by Japan with 23 and Hong Kong (China) with 14. Việt Nam came in fourth place, as they earned fewer silver medals.

The 12th Asian Age Group Championships took place in Bangkok from July 17 to 21. The continental aquatics competition featured four core disciplines: swimming, diving, water polo and artistic swimming. — VNS