Vietnam triumphed at the 16th South East Asian Rowing Federation (SEARF) Junior Rowing and Rowing Championships, which wrapped up in the port city of Hai Phpng on November 8.

The team brought home 13 golds and 12 silvers. Thailand were second with four golds, six silvers and five bronzes. Malaysia, with one gold, six silvers and three bronzes, came third.

The event attracted the participation of 85 rowers from Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam. They competed in 20 events for men and women.

The four-day event aimed to sharpen athletes’ skills for international tournaments next year and the Asian Games in 2018. 

Rowers, canoers get ready to paddle

The National Rowing and Canoeing Championships will begin today in Hai Phong City with the participation of nearly 300 athletes.

They will compete until November 19. In rowing athletes will vie for medals in 20 categories while there are 36 disciplines in canoeing and kayaking.

According to Lam Quang Thanh, deputy head of the Vietnam Sports Administration, the national tournament is the best way to select the national team for upcoming international competitions such as the Asian Games in 2018, the Southeast Asian Games in 2019 and the 2020 Olympic qualifiers.

Rowing and canoeing are Olympic sports and Vietnamese have grabbed success recently, with Truong Thi Phuong’s victory at the Asian championship securing a first Olympic berth in Rio. 

VNS