Asian Para Games

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam team finished 12th in the medal tally of the Asian Para Games which finished on Saturday in Indonesia.

The team brought home eight gold, eight silver and 24 bronze medals. China topped the overall rankings with 172 golds, 88 silvers and 59 bronzes, followed by South Korea with 53 golds.

On the last day, Việt Nam won three more bronze medals in table tennis and badminton.

On Friday, Vietnamese chess players bagged two more golds.

Nguyễn Thị Mỹ Linh clinched the seventh gold for Việt Nam in the women’s individual rapid VI-B2/B3 category, before Đoàn Thu Huyền, Trần Thị Bích Thủy and Nguyễn Thị Minh Thu took the eighth in the women’s team rapid P1 discipline.

In addition, the chess team pocketed a silver medal by Nguyễn Thị Kiều (women’s individual rapid P1) and three bronzes by Thủy (women’s individual rapid P1), Đào Thị Lệ Xuân (women’s individual rapid VI-B1), and Xuân/Phạm Thị Hương (women’s team rapid VI-B1).

Notably, Vietnamese swimmers contributed four golds in the total of eight of Việt Nam team. Võ Thanh Tùng earned three golds and broke three Asian Para Games records.

Disabled swimmer Tùng triumphed in the men’s 200m freestyle S5 event, 50m backstroke and 100m freestyle.

The southern province of Cần Thơ-born Tùng also bagged a silver medal in the men’s 50m butterfly.

The Asian Para Games, which follows the Asian Games every four years, attracted athletes from 45 countries and territories in Asia this year. The Vietnamese team comprised of 75 members, including 52 athletes competed in seven of 18 sports, namely swimming, track and field, weightlifting, chess, badminton, table tennis, and judo.

At the previous Asian Para Games in 2014, the country won nine golds, seven silvers, and 13 bronzes, finishing 10th in the overall rankings.

After this tournament, Việt Nam will prepare to compete in the ASEAN Para Games in the Philipppines in 2019 and then Paralympic Games in Tokyo in 2020. — VNS