Track and field athlete Bui Thi Thu Thao, who won a gold medal for Vietnam at the 2018 Asian Games (ASIAD 2018) in Indonesia in August, has overcame other rivals to become the most outstanding athlete of Vietnam in 2018.

Track and field athlete Bui Thi Thu Thao

Securing the first gold medal for Vietnamese track and field in the Asian Games, Thao from Hanoi topped the list with 700 points, 78 points higher than footballer Nguyen Quang Hai from the Hanoi FC, who made great contributions to helping Vietnam win the trophy of the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup 2018 and was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.

Swimmer Nguyen Huy Hoang from the central province of Quang Binh ranked third with 462 points thanks to his silver medal pocketed at ASIAD 2018.

In the list of outstanding disabled athletes, swimmer Vo Thanh Tung ranked first with 385 points after bagging three gold and two silver medals at the 2018 Asian Para Games in October.  He was followed by weightlifters Nguyen Binh An and Dang Thi Linh Phuong, with 276 points and 186 points, respectively.

Meanwhile, track and field coach Nguyen Manh Hieu came first in the list of outstanding coaches with 296 points as he had trained ASIAD medalists, including Thao and Vu Thi Men who won a bronze medal in the women’s triple jump.

Swimming coach Bui Thanh Tam topped the list of prominent coaches for athletes with disabilities.

The rankings were revealed by the poll organizing board on December 27 night.

The annual poll is jointly held by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Vietnam Olympic Committee, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee, and the Vietnam Sports Administration, aiming to honour outstanding individuals of the sports sector.