The 32nd SEA Games will gather over 12,400 athletes, coaches and staff members. The Vietnamese sports delegation includes 1,003 members, led by the Director General of the General Department of Physical Training and Sports Dang Ha Viet.

Of the nearly 10,000 athletes attending the 2023 SEA Games, AFP named the nine most outstanding athletes.

The list has two Vietnamese representatives, runner Nguyen Thi Oanh and boxer Nguyen Thi Tam.

Nguyen Thi Oanh was Vietnam’s outstanding athlete in 2022. The 27-year-old runner is the current SEA Games champion for 1,500m, 5,000m and 3,000m races.

At the upcoming SEA Games in Cambodia, Oanh will have to defend her three gold medals within two days, which is a huge challenge for her. 

Nguyen Thi Tam, 29, won the historic silver medal at the Women's World Championships in March 2023, in the 52kg weight category.

The goal of the female boxer from Thai Binh Province is a gold medal at the 32nd SEA Games and then a card to the Paris Olympics 2024.

The other seven names on the list are Thai runner Puripol Boonson, Efren Reyes (Snooker & billiard, the Philippines), Carlos Yulo (Gymnastics, the Philippines), Ernest John Obiena (Pole vault - Athletics, the Philippines), Vanessa Sarno (Weightlifting, the Philippines), Jessa Khan (Jiu-Jitsu, Cambodia) and runner Shanti Pereira of Singapore.

Thien Binh