HÀ NỘI — Footballer Nguyễn Quang Hải, long jumper Bùi Thị Thu Thảo and swimmer Nguyễn Huy Hoàng are among potential winners of the National Best Athlete of the Year award after the nominees were announced yesterday.

It was a successful year for Vietnamese sports.

Thảo won the first gold medal for Việt Nam at the Asian Games in Indonesia in August.

Her 6.55m jump at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium secured Việt Nam’s first ever athletics gold at the continental competition. She also won gold at other international and local tournaments, with her latest title at the National Sports Games in Hà Nội early this month.

Young swimmer Nguyễn Huy Hoàng won gold at the Youth Olympics’ 1,500m freestyle event in Argentina. The 18-year-old nearly beat world record holder Sun Yang of China in the 1,500m freestyle at the Asian Games, coming second and winning a silver. Earlier, he pocketed a bronze medal in the 800m freestyle.

At the National Games, he earned three golds and set a new record.

Footballer Hải won silver with the U23 squad at the Asian Championship in January, scoring five goals along the way. Then, with the national Olympic team he finished fourth at the Asian Games, before lifting the ASEAN Football Federation Championship with the full national team and being named the tournament’s top player.

The 21-year-old has been listed as five biggest stars and one of 10 players to watch at the coming Asian Cup in the UAE in January by Fox Sports Asia. Last week he won the Golden Ball for best footballer of the year.

Other nominees include pencak silat fighter Nguyễn Văn Trí, rower Phạm Thị Thảo and weightlifter Thạch Kim Tuấn.

Among coaches, football manager Mai Đức Chung has been tipped for glory. He won bronze at the Southeast Asian Championship with the women’s team and helped the U19 women advance to the second qualification round at the Asian Women’s U19 Championship.

The other candidates are Chu Đình Nghiêm, coach of Hà Nội FC who won the V-League title, Nguyễn Mạnh Hiếu coach of long jumper Thảo and pencak silat trainer Nguyễn Văn Hùng.

Sports experts and journalists, who took part in the vote in Hà Nội, Đà Nẵng and HCM City, also selected Best Athletes with Disabilities and Best Coach of Athletes with Disabilities.

The results will be announced tomorrow. — VNS