AIMAG

HÀ NỘI — New ASEAN sprint queen Lê Tú Chinh is heading to conquer a new challenge later this month at the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG) in Turkmenistan.

Chinh, who bagged three gold medals at the 29th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Malaysia last month, will take part in the women’s 60m event in her AIMAG debut.

“It is my first time at this continental tournament, and the event is not familiar to me. However, my target is to get my highest result, which will help me have a successful 2017,” said Chinh.

Apart from Chinh, swimmer Nguyễn Thị Ánh Viên is also a gold hope for Việt Nam.

Viên was the most prolific athlete in Việt Nam’s SEA Games team, winning eight golds and two silvers in Kuala Lumpur.

Other Vietnamese participants at the AIMAG are swimmer and SEA Games record holder Nguyễn Hữu Kim Sơn, world taekwondo poomsae champion Châu Tuyết Vân, chess grandmaster Lê Quang Liêm, seven-time world muay winner Nguyễn Trần Duy Nhất, and Asian billiard champion Nguyễn Quốc Nguyện.

The fifth AIMAG will be held from September 17 to 27.

Việt Nam’s team of 194 athletes, under deputy chief of National Sports Administration Trần Đức Phấn, will take part in 14 of the 21 sports categories, including athletics, swimming, weightlifting, wrestling, chess and futsal.

As in the previous Games, the team aims to be among the top three. The event will attract thousands of competitors from 45 countries and territories in Asia, 17 delegations from Oceania and seven associate members of the Oceania National Olympic Committees.

In its 2013 edition in South Korea, Việt Nam pocketed eight golds, seven silvers and 12 bronzes, ranking third, behind China and the hosts.

Việt Nam hosted the tournament in 2009 and finished second after China with 42 golds. — VNS