HÀ NỘI — Hundreds of Vietnamese journalists in three cities yesterday voted for markman Hoàng Xuân Vinh as the best player of 2016 due to his successful achievements during the year.

Vinh was chosen No 1 in a list of 10 most outstanding athletes with 2,020 points by the journalists in polls across Hà Nội, Đà Nẵng and HCM City,

The shooter had pocketed a gold, a silver and set a new record at the Rio De Janeiro Olympics, marking a milestone for Việt Nam’s sporting history.

It was the first ever Olympic title for the country nearly 70 years after Việt Nam began taking part in international competitions.

Earlier, Vinh had also bagged two bronze medals at World Cups in Germany and Thailand.

The second position in the list went to swimmer Nguyễn Thị Ánh Viên who grabbed 1,639 points.

Viên, who was on top last year, also became the first Vietnamese Asian champion, when she secured a gold medal in the women’s 400m individual medley at the continental tournament in November.

Tennis player Lý Hoàng Nam came third with 1,075 points. Nam made big progress in his career jumping to world top 700, the highest ranking for a Vietnamese in history.

In 2016, Nam won one singles and one doubles title from the International Tennis Federation’s Men’s Futures series.

Other outstanding athletes in the list included Olympian fencer Vũ Thành An, gymnast Phạm Phước Hưng, and table tennis player Nguyễn Anh Tú.

The nation’s journalists yesterday also voted for the best coach of the year.

They believed that coach Nguyễn Thị Nhung contributed strongly to Vinh’s success.

The so-called ‘iron woman’ of sport topped the list with 1,901 points, leaving her runners-up a long distance behind.

Swimming coach Đặng Anh Tuấn (1,189 points) and football trainer Hoàng Anh Tuấn (1,006 points) came second and third, respectively.

In the poll for athletes with disabilities, powerlifter Lê Văn Công was voted to the top.

Like Vinh, Công brought home the first ever gold medal for the Paralympics team from Brazil. His result of 183kg in the men’s U49kg pool is also a new tournament and world record.

Swimmer Võ Thanh Tùng took second position thanks to his silver medal at the Rio Games, while Cao Ngọc Hùng, who earned a Paralympic bronze in men’s javelin event, was third.

Coach Nguyễn Hồng Phúc, whose athletes Công and Đặng Thị Linh Phượng (women’s powerlifter U50kg category) had their names in the medal tally, led the poll for the best coach of athletes with disabilities.

Swimming coach Đổng Quốc Cường and athletics coach Đặng Văn Phúc ranked second and third, respectively. — VNS

10 Best Athletes of 2016

Hoàng Xuân Vinh (shooting), Nguyễn Thị Ánh Viên (swimming), Lý Hoàng Nam (tennis), Vũ Thành An (fencing), and Phạm Phước Hưng (gymnastics), in addition to Phan Thị Hà Thanh (gymnastics), Nguyễn Anh Tú (table tennis), Hồ Thị Kim Ngân (taekwondo), Lê Tú Chinh (athletics), and Trương Thị Phương (rowing).

5 Best Athletes of 2016

Nguyễn Thị Nhung (shooting), Đặng Anh Tuấn (swimming), Hoàng Anh Tuấn (football), Trương Tuấn Hiền (gymnastics), and Nguyễn Lê Bá Quang (fencing).

5 Best Athletes with Disabilities of 2016

Lê Văn Công (powerlifting), Đặng Thị Linh Phượng (powerlifting), Nguyễn Bình An (powerlifting), Võ Thanh Tùng (swimming), and Cao Ngọc Hùng (athletics).

3 Best Coach of Athletes with Disabilities of 2016

Nguyễn Hồng Phúc (powerlifting), Đổng Quốc Cường (swimming), and Đặng Văn Phúc (athletics).