VietNamNet Bridge – Dinh Viet Linh pocketed a gold medal in the girls' singles table tennis event in the fifth day of the third ASEAN Schools Games in Singapore.

Although Linh was considered weaker than her rival Rattaporn Rattanavongsa from Thailand she overcame the odds to win 3-0 to take the 20th gold for Viet Nam and the second for the table tennis team after five days of competition.

The first table tennis gold went to the boys' team who defeated host Singapore in the final match.

In the boys' singles event, Le Tien Dat failed to secure the gold despite a strong performance against his Singaporean opponent, Duan Lan Zhen, who went into the match as the underdog. Dat lost 0-3 and walked away with a silver medal.

The table tennis team pocketed bronzes in the girls' team and boys' singles events on Tuesday.

"Although this is the first time Vietnamese students have competed in table tennis at the Games they have been very successful," said coach Vu Thanh Son.

"We dared not think about gold medals even in the face of three final matches. But they won over heavy pressure and strong rivals to gain victories," said Son.

Earlier, Vietnamese athletes shined in the artistic gymnastics competition, grabbing five golds, two silvers and three bronzes. The track and field team brought home four gold and three silver medals.

Viet Nam have a total of 20 golds, 16 silvers and 11 bronzes after five days of competition to rank fourth in the medal tally.

Thailand passed host Singapore to take the top position with a total 27 gold, 26 silver and 41 bronze medals. Singapore pocketed 26 golds, 21 silvers and 27 bronzes. Indonesia were in third place with 22 gold, 20 silver and 26 bronze medals.

The six-day event, to conclude today, offers a chance for students to improve their physical and spiritual lives and engage in exchanges with regional friends. It also aims to provide opportunities for school athletes to benchmark their sporting talents in the ASEAN region.

The annual rotation event is the largest of its kind in the region. It has drawn 1,100 athletes from Brunei, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Viet Nam and the host country.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News