ASIAD gold medalist named most outstanding athlete in 2018

Securing the first gold medal for Vietnamese track and field in the Asian Games, Thao, from Hanoi, topped the list with 700 points. This is 78 points higher than footballer Nguyen Quang Hai from the Hanoi FC, who made great contributions to helping Vietnam win the trophy of the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup 2018 and was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament.

Swimmer Nguyen Huy Hoang from the central province of Quang Binh ranked third with 462 points thanks to his silver medal pocketed at ASIAD 2018.

In the list of outstanding disabled athletes, swimmer Vo Thanh Tung ranked first with 385 points after bagging three gold and two silver medals at the 2018 Asian Para Games in October. He was followed by weightlifters Nguyen Binh An and Dang Thi Linh Phuong, with 276 points and 186 points, respectively.

Meanwhile, track and field coach Nguyen Manh Hieu came first in the list of outstanding coaches with 296 points as he had trained ASIAD medalists, including Thao as well as Vu Thi Men who won a bronze medal in the women’s triple jump.

Swimming coach Bui Thanh Tam topped the list of prominent coaches for athletes with disabilities.

The rankings were revealed by the poll organising board on the night of December 27.

The annual poll is jointly held by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Vietnam Olympic Committee, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union Central Committee, and the Vietnam Sports Administration, aiming to honour outstanding individuals of the sports sector.