Four Southeast Asian countries win medals at Paris Olympics 2024

After convincingly defeating Lee Zii Jia (Malaysia) in the semifinals of the men’s singles badminton event at the Paris Olympics 2024, Kunlavut Vitidsarn (Thailand) was highly anticipated to bring home Thailand’s first gold medal at the Olympics.

Kunlavut Vitidsarn's opponent in the final was Viktor Axelsen (Denmark, world No. 2). The match, a highly anticipated showdown between reigning world champion Kunlavut Vitidsarn and Olympic gold medalist Viktor Axelsen, was the highlight of the Olympics on August 5.

Despite his best efforts, Kunlavut Vitidsarn fell short, losing 0-2 (11/21, 11/21) to the Danish player. While unable to secure the historic gold medal, Vitidsarn’s silver medal still earned Thailand its first medal at the 2024 Olympics. This is an achievement many countries, including Vietnam, aspire to.

As of the evening of August 5 (Vietnam time), Southeast Asian countries with Olympic medals include the Philippines (2 gold), Indonesia (2 bronze), Malaysia (1 bronze), and Thailand (1 silver). Notably, the Philippines garnered attention with two gold medals won by male athlete Carlos Yulo in gymnastics.

In the coming days, Thailand is expected to potentially win more medals, as they have outstanding athletes in taekwondo, notably Panipak Wongpattanakit (women’s 49kg) and Banlung Tubtimdang (men’s 68kg).

During the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the Philippines secured 1 gold, 2 silver, and 1 bronze, ranking 50th overall, the highest in Southeast Asia. They were followed by Indonesia with 1 gold, 1 silver, and 3 bronze, ranked 55th. Thailand earned 1 gold and 1 bronze, ranked 59th. Malaysia achieved 1 silver and 2 bronze, ranked 74th.

At this Olympic event, these Southeast Asian nations have won medals. Meanwhile, Vietnamese sports face a high risk of "going home empty-handed" for the second consecutive Olympics.

What are the chances for Vietnam’s Trinh Van Vinh?

While Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia can still "harvest" medals and improve their rankings, Vietnam has only two athletes yet to compete: Trinh Van Vinh (weightlifting) and Nguyen Thi Huong (canoeing).

According to the schedule, Trinh Van Vinh will compete in the men's under 61kg weightlifting category on August 7. The following day, Nguyen Thi Huong will compete in the women's single canoeing 200m heats. Of these two athletes, if Nguyen Thi Huong surpasses her limits, it will be a success, while Van Vinh's chances of causing a surprise are slim.

During the qualifiers, the weightlifter from Bac Ninh Province secured his Olympic spot by ranking 6th with a total lift of 294kg. To compete for a medal, Vinh needs to surpass a total lift of 300kg.

Vinh faces strong opponents, notably Li Fabin (China), who holds the best performance record of 314kg in total lifts, along with Morris Hampton Miller (USA, 303kg), Sergio Massidda (Italy, 302kg), Eko Yuli (Indonesia, 300kg), Ceniza John Febuar (Philippines, 300kg), and Silachai Theerapong (Thailand, 299kg).

To compete for a medal, Vinh must have an "exceptional" day. Can a miracle happen for the Vietnamese weightlifter?

Dai Nam