Marksman Hoang Xuan Vinh (Photo: EPA/VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - The following are Vietnam's top 10 sports events of 2016 selected by Vietnam News, the national English language daily.
1.Marksman Hoang Xuan Vinh won a gold and a silver at the Rio de Janeiro OlympicGames in August.
Thearmyman made the nation’s dream come true with his perfect performance in themen’s 10m air pistol event with 202.5 points in 20 shots. Three days later,Vinh missed his second title after coming second in the 50m pistol event.
The42-year-old became the first Olympic gold medallist in Vietnam’s history.
2.A month after the milestone of the national sport, also in Rio, weightlifter LeVan Cong set a new record of 183kg in the men’s U49kg category of theParalympics.
Afterfive seasons in Paralympics, Vietnam’s athletes finally notched up the highestachievement.
Apartfrom Cong, other Vietnamese athletes also took home one silver and two bronzemedals in swimming, weightlifting and athletics.
3.The Vietnamese national futsal squad made history with their first ever ticketto the FIFA World Cup 2016 in Colombia in September.
Earlierin the Asian championship, Vietnam overcame title favourite and defendingchampions Japan in the semi-final. As a result, they qualified for the WorldCup.
Theteam made a bigger bang as they entered the World Cup’s quarter-final round andgrabbed the fair-play award.
4.Vietnam’s U19 team qualified to the final of the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2017.
CoachHoang Anh Tuan and his team had an unbelievable journey at the Asian U19Football Championship in Bahrain in October.
Despitebeing considered the underdogs of Group B, Vietnam beat stronger DPRK 2-1, tiedthe UAE 1-1 and drew Iraq 0-0 to advance to the quarter-finals.
Inthe last 16, Vietnam defeated the host 1-0 and became one of four best teams ofthe tournament to represent Asia at the World Cup in the Republic of Korea.
5.Swimmer Nguyen Thi Anh Vien grabbed a gold and set a record of 4min 37.71sec atthe Asian Swimming Championships’ women’s 400m individual medley event in Japanin November.
Itwas the first title for Vietnam in the continental competition after many yearsof waiting.
6.Master Nguyen Thi Mai Hung won a gold medal at the Asian Individual BlitzWomen’s Chess Championship in Uzbekistan in June. Her teammate Le Quang Liemwon two silvers. Both of them qualified for the Chess World Cup in Tbilisi,Georgia, from September 1 to 25, 2017.
7.The fifth Asian Beach Games was held in Da Nang in September.
HostsVietnam led the chart with 52 gold medals, 44 silver medals and 43 bronzemedals. It was the first time Vietnamese sports was on top at a continent-levelGames. Thailand came second, and China third.
8.Vietnamese players ‘exported’ abroad.
Vietnamused to have some players competing abroad but it was 2016 which saw a numberof talents who signed contracts with international clubs. They all trained atthe Hoang Anh Gia Lai-Arsenal JMG Academy.
StrikerNguyen Cong Phuong moved to Japanese Mito Hollyhock in one year. MidfielderNguyen Tuan Anh joined Yokohama FC, also in Japan. Midfielder Luong Xuan Truongwas on loan to the Republic of Korea’s Incheon United before moving to GangwonFC.
9.Vietnam has its first professional basketball league.
TheVietnam Basketball Association (VBA) League presented five teams in its debutseason, presenting a new image and promoting understanding of the sport tonational fans.
Thetournament kicked off in August with about 50 matches in four months. DanangDragon exhibited a magical performance, passing title candidate Saigon Heat andpowerful rivals HCM City Wing and Hanoi Buffaloes to be champion in the firstyear.
10.The national men’s football team quest for the AFF Cup 2016 title falls shortin December.
Vietnamlost 3-4 to Indonesia in the semi-finals against Indonesia that made the mostof Vietnam’s defensive frailties. Vietnam under coach Nguyen Huu Thang put on abrave display and pushed the game into extra time despite playing with 10 menin the concluding stages of the home leg.-VNA
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