18-year-old earns first-ever Asiad swimming medal for Vietnam

September 24, 2014 | 14:34

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Swimmer Nguyen Thi Anh Vien won a bronze medal on Tuesday in the women’s 400m individual medley event of the 17th Asian Games (Asiad), the first-ever medal for Vietnam’s swim team in Asiad’s history.

She completed the race in third in 4 minutes 39.65 seconds, behind China’s Ye Shiwen, who clocked 4 minutes 32.97 seconds; and Shimizu Sakiko of Japan, at 4 minutes 38.63 seconds.

In the final competition, the 18-year-old Vien was given racing lane No.1, an unfavorable lane due to stronger waves and limited views, as she ranked seventh among the eight swimmers who passed the qualifiers.

It was a much better result in comparison to the 27th Southeast Asian Games in 2013 in Myanmar. There, Vien, from the southern city of Can Tho, completed the medley in 4 minutes 46.16 seconds, although she did win the gold medal.

At the Orlando Grand Prix in the U.S. this year, Vien finished her 400m medley race in 4 minutes 41.68 seconds.

Gold medalist Ye Shiwen is also the current world record holder of the women’s 400m medley, with a result of 4 minutes 28.43 seconds at the 2012 Summer Olympics Games in London.

Now, Vietnam ranks eleventh in the medal table at Asiad, with one gold medal, three silvers, and ten bronzes.

The 17th Asiad is taking place in Incheon, South Korea from September 19 to October 4.

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