Vietnam’s veteran gymnast, Pham Phuoc Hung, has successfully performed a new skill in the men’s still rings at the ongoing 2017 FIG World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Montreal, Canada.

Pham Phuoc Hung performs in his favourite still rings event.

Hung’s move, given a difficulty rating of E (A elements being the easiest and H elements being the hardest), has never been performed by any athlete before, therefore it has been added to the Men’s Gymnastics Code of Points by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), bearing the name of the Vietnamese athlete, “PHAM 2”.

This is the second time that the Hanoi-born gymnast has created a new element for the still rings event which has received FIG recognition. 

Previously, at the world competition in Glasgow, Scotland, in November 2015, Hung took the same honour by performing a pull with straight arms and body, through a momentary front lever, and through Cross to support scale, at a difficulty rating of D.

Prior to Pham Phuoc Hung, Nguyen Tuan Dat, born in 1991, was the first Vietnamese gymnast to have a skill named after him by the FIG. 

At the 2013 World Championships, Dat and Kenzo Shirai of Japan successfully performed a quadruple full twist on the floor, which was then named as the “Shirai-Nguyen” skill.

The 2017 FIG World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, the 47th edition of its kind, is taking place at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal, Canada, from October 2 to 8, with the participation of over 500 gymnasts from 80 countries.

Vietnam is being represented by seven of its best gymnasts, including Pham Phuoc Hung, Dinh Phuong Thanh, Le Thanh Tung, Dang Nam, Do Vu Hung and Nguyen Tuan Dat. 

Among the athletes, the highest expectations are pinned on Le Thanh Tung, who shone with three gold medals for Vietnam at the recent 29th Southeast Asian Games in Malaysia.

Nhan Dan