BANGKOK — On the final day of the 33rd SEA Games, the Vietnamese sports delegation continued to excel, capturing crucial gold medals in wrestling, boxing, aerobic gymnastics, and chess. This impressive performance brought Việt Nam's total to 86 gold medals, securing third place in the overall medal tally.

In men's freestyle wrestling, Vietnamese athletes showed their dominance. Phạm Như Duy clinched the gold medal in the 57kg category with a decisive 10-1 victory over a Filipino opponent. Following this, Nguyễn Hữu Định triumphed in the 65kg category, defeating Tubor Romil from the Philippines by the same score. Notably, Cấn Tất Dự solidified his legendary status in Vietnamese wrestling by winning the gold medal in the 74kg category, defeating Daniel Gabriel Thomas of Indonesia in just 32 seconds - his sixth SEA Games title.

In aerobic gymnastics, the team comprising Hoàng Gia Bảo, Phan Thị Uyên Nhi, Trương Ngọc Diễm Hằng, Nguyễn Chế Thanh, and Đặng Chí Bảo won gold in the group event.

 

 

Chess proved to be another "gold mine" for Việt Nam. In the women's doubles rapid chess final, Phạm Lê Thảo Nguyên and Võ Thị Kim Phụng defeated their Indonesian rivals 1.5 - 0.5, earning a gold medal. Earlier, the Vietnamese men's doubles team also secured gold by defeating Malaysia.

In boxing, Hà Thị Linh won gold in the women's 60kg category after defeating a Thai boxer in the final. Meanwhile, Nguyễn Huyền Trân, competing in the women's 57kg final, earned a silver medal after losing to another Thai opponent.

Esports and fencing added two more gold medals to Việt Nam's tally at the SEA Games 33. The Vietnamese men's AOV team triumphed over Thailand 3-1 in the finals, delivering an emotional victory. In fencing, the sabre team, featuring Nguyễn Văn Quyết, Nguyễn Xuân Lợi, Lê Văn Bang, and Phan Ánh Dương, dominated with a 45-27 win against Malaysia.

Nguyễn Hồng Minh, head of the Vietnamese delegation, expressed satisfaction, stating, “The Vietnamese sports delegation has achieved the goals set before departure.” He noted that Olympic sports played a key role in their success, contributing nearly 70 per cent of the total gold medals.

The overall objectives included maintaining and enhancing Việt Nam’s position among the region’s leading sports nations, achieving breakthroughs in key Olympic disciplines, and projecting an image of a civilised, professional, and disciplined delegation to the international community.

As of 9pm on Friday, the Vietnamese delegation had amassed 86 gold medals, 79 silver medals, and 110 bronze medals, ranking third in the medal tally. The Thai delegation led with 232 golds, 153 silvers, and 106 bronzes, while Indonesia held second place with 91 golds, 111 silvers, and 128 bronzes. — VNS