HÀ NỘI — Swimmer Nguyễn Thị Ánh Viên grabbed her fourth Best Athlete of the Year award after winning a vote organised yesterday in Hà Nội and HCM City.

The 21-year-old topped the poll with 1,560 points, just 21 points more than her nearest rival weightlifter Thạch Kim Tuấn (1,539 points).

Runner Lê Tú Chinh came third winning 1,274 points.

Viên convinced voters, about 200 journalists, with her great performance at different competition throughout the year.

Apart from medals that she took in the United States (US) where she is training, Viên was gold-hope of Việt Nam in all sport festivals and she made it.

The girl brought home two golds, one silver and set a new record at the Asian Indoor Games and Martial Arts (AIMAG) in September in Turkmenistan after eight top podium finishes along with three records at the Malaysian Southeast Asian Games in August.

It was Viên’s strong comeback after failing to win the award in 2016 to Olympic winning marksman Hoàng Xuân Vinh.

Earlier, she dominated the category for three years in a row from 2013 to 2015.

Lifter Tuấn, 23, was considered the heaviest contender to win his first award of career after earning three gold medals from the World Weightlifting Championships in the men’s 56kg category in the US last month.

Earlier he grabbed a title from the Asian Indoor Games and Martial Arts (AIMAG) in September in Turkmenistan and another one at the Malaysian Southeast Asian Games in August.

Chinh, 19, is a new rising sprinter but shone at her SEA Games debut with a hat-trick and one record. She also brought home one AIMAG silver and two bronzes from the Asian Grand Prix Series.

Other athletes in the top 10 were gymnast Lê Thanh Tùng, chess master Lê Quang Liêm, runner Nguyễn Thị Huyền, and long jumper Bùi Thị Thu Thảo, in addition to wushu martial artist Dương Thúy Vi, swimmer Nguyễn Hữu Kim Sơn and weightlifter Trịnh Văn Vinh.

In the Best Coach of the Year pool, football trainer Mai Đức Chung topped the list of five nominees with 593 points.

Chung was successful in helping the national women’s team to win the gold medal at the Malaysian SEA Games.

This is the fifth time Việt Nam have claimed the title after winning gold medals in 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2009, equalling Thailand’s record.

He also played key role guiding the national men’s squad to earn a slot in the 2019 Asian Cup finals.

Weightlifting coach Huỳnh Hữu Chí came second, followed by swimming coach Đặng Anh Tuấn.

Powerlifter Lê Văn Công concluded his great year with the award for Best Athlete with Disabilities of 2017.

Công score 880 points to claim his third time receiving the award following the years of 2015 and 2016.

Swimmer Võ Thanh Tùng, the 2014 winner, finished second and powerlifter Nguyễn Bình An was third.

With two athletes in the top three of the Best Athletes with Disabilities, coach Nguyễn Hồng Phúc, took his the Coach of Best Athletes with Disabilities award this year. It was his third one in a row. — VNS