Nguyen Huy Hoang’s participation in the Olympic Games on July 29 was the main focus for the Vietnamese sports delegation. Competing at such a major event, it was unlikely for Huy Hoang to vie for a medal or even make it to the finals. Therefore, the goal was for him to achieve his personal best.

In the men's 800m freestyle, the Vietnamese swimmer competed in the first heat, lane number 2. He started well and kept pace with the leading group. After the first 300 meters, Huy Hoang was in 5th place with a time of 2 minutes 58.26 seconds.

However, after 500 meters, Huy Hoang lagged 5 seconds behind the leader. In the final laps, the Vietnamese swimmer fell further behind. He finished in 5th place with a time of 8 minutes 8.39 seconds, almost 20 seconds behind the winner, Auboeck Felix (Austria, 7 minutes 48.49 seconds).

Finishing 5th in the first heat, Huy Hoang did not qualify for the finals. This outcome was anticipated due to the significant gap in performance between the Vietnamese swimmer and his competitors.

However, the disappointing aspect was Huy Hoang’s unexpectedly low performance. For comparison: at the 19th Asian Games, Huy Hoang won a bronze medal with a time of 7 minutes 51.44 seconds. At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, also in the 800m freestyle, the swimmer born in 2000 recorded a time of 7 minutes 54.16 seconds. In both major competitions, Huy Hoang showed consistent results.

Since 2024, however, Huy Hoang’s performance has declined. At the World Championships in aquatic sports in Doha, Qatar, in February, he clocked 8 minutes 5.17 seconds. Despite winning a gold medal at the Southeast Asian Age Group Swimming Championships in the Philippines in late February, Huy Hoang took over 8 minutes to finish.

Before the Olympics, Huy Hoang recorded 8 minutes 9.66 seconds at the World Championships in June. This "alarming" statistic for Vietnam's top swimmer shows a sharp decline. His best career time in the 800m freestyle is 7 minutes 49.67 seconds, meaning he has "reversed gears" by approximately 19 seconds from his peak performance.

At 24, Huy Hoang is not young but certainly not old. His decline in performance may be attributed to technical and psychological issues. Hopefully, after the 800m freestyle event, Huy Hoang and his coach will draw lessons and strive for better results in the 1500m freestyle event on August 3.

Dai Nam