THAILAND — Vietnamese athletes had an outstanding day of competition, securing 16 gold medals at the 33rd SEA Games on Wednesday.

Rowing kicked off impressively with three gold medals, won by Hồ Thị Duy, the duo of Hoàng Văn Đạt and Nguyễn Phú, and the women's quadruple sculls crew consisting of Bùi Thị Thu Hiền, Nguyễn Thị Giang, Đinh Thị Hảo, and Phạm Thị Huệ. This triumph once again highlighted rowing as one of Việt Nam’s most reliable sources of medals at the SEA Games.

 

Shooting also shone brightly, with a double gold medal victory. Trịnh Thu Vinh, Nguyễn Thùy Dung, and Nguyễn Thùy Trang won gold in the women’s team 25m sports pistol event. Vinh continued to showcase her skills by clinching gold in the women's individual 25m sports pistol event.

In the finals of the women's individual event, Vinh and Trang engaged in a thrilling competition, both scoring 34 points and breaking the SEA Games record. This result led to the two Vietnamese shooters entering a shoot-off (firing five bullets) to determine the gold medal winner. Although Vinh initially trailed her teammate, she ultimately rallied to win the shoot-off 3-2, securing her individual gold medal. This achievement reaffirmed Vinh's status as the standout star of Vietnamese shooting at the SEA Games, with four gold medals and three broken records to her name.

In pencak silat, Nguyễn Tấn Sang was the first to win a gold medal, followed by Nguyễn Duy Tuyến, who also achieved gold.

The wrestling team also triumphed, earning a hat-trick of gold medals through Nguyễn Công Mạnh, Nguyễn Đình Hiếu, and Nghiêm Đình Hiếu. These three consecutive victories showcased the strength and depth of the Vietnamese wrestling team in the heavyweight categories.

Fencing saw two gold medals won by Nguyễn Phước Đến and Nguyễn Xuân Lợi. The Muay Thai team matched this success with two gold medals earned by Nguyễn Thị Phương Hậu and Nguyễn Thị Chiều.

The remaining two gold medals went to the women's handball team and weightlifter Trần Đình Thắng. Thắng delivered a spirited performance, winning gold in the men’s 89kg category and ending Việt Nam's weightlifting drought at these Games. He achieved a total lift of 366kg, just 1kg more than his Thai opponent, highlighted by a successful clean and jerk lift of 212kg.

 

 As of 9pm on Wednesday, the Vietnamese delegation proudly returned with 64 gold medals, 68 silver medals, and 94 bronze medals, ranking third in the medal tally. The Thai sports delegation remained firmly at the top with 186 gold medals, 119 silver medals, and 79 bronze medals, while Indonesia followed in second with 72 gold medals, 85 silver medals, and 94 bronze medals. VNS