Swimmer Nguyen Huy Hoang has been voted Vietnamese athlete of the year by sports journalists. — Photo nld.com.vn

With 1,178 points, Hoang overcame Nguyen Thi Oanh (athletics) and Truong Thi Kim Tuyen (taekwondo) to claim the award.

The Quang Binh Province native was the first Vietnamese athlete to reach the 'A standard', qualifying for Tokyo 2020 in the men’s 800m freestyle (ranked 20/34) and 1,500m freestyle (ranked 12/29). In addition, he also won two gold medals at the National Swimming Championships.

At the world championships held in December in the UAE, Hoang broke national records in the 400m freestyle and 1,500m freestyle.

Hoang won the national title in the 1,500m freestyle for the first time in 2016. This category also helped him win the 2017 SEA Games gold medal and the 2018 ASIAD silver medal.

Hoang is considered one of the brightest hopes of Vietnam's at the upcoming 31st SEA Games in May.

Of 1,030, track-and-field athletes, Nguyen Thi Oanh was the runner-up. The Bac Giang native won five gold medals in 2021. Notably, she broke the 18-year national record in the 5,000m at the National Athletics Championships.

The remaining positions fell to Truong Thi Kim Tuyen (taekwondo, 698 points), Cu Huynh Nhu (women’s football, 552 points), Quach Thi Lan (athletics, 528 points), Nguyen Thi Anh Vien (swimming, 514 points), Ho Van Y (futsal, 416 points), Nguyen Thi Thu Nhi (boxing, 408 points), Nguyen Quang Hai (men’s football, 348 points) and Hoang Thi My Tam (karate, 334 points).

In the best coach award, Pham Minh Giang of futsal team became the winner with 394 points, followed by athletics coach Tran Van Sy and Coach Park Hang-seo of the Vietnamese football team.

The title of the best athlete with disabilities in 2021 went to weightlifter Le Van Cong with 810 points. The 37-year-old athlete won one silver at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics and one silver at the 2021 world championships.

Along with that, Le Quang Thai, coach of Cong, won the title of best coach for people with disabilities.

The above awards have been voted by sports journalists in the field of sports nationwide. 

Source: Vietnam News

Vietnamese swimmers to train in Hungary for SEA Games and ASIAD

The Vietnamese national swimming team will leave for Hungary on November 1 to train for the 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games and 19th Asian Games (ASIAD).

Vietnam's 10 sports stories of 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic is still hitting the world of sport hard but 2021 will always be remembered as a year of stunning "first times" for Vietnamese athletes, as well as a few moments of heartbreak for the nation.