ASIAD 2018: Vietnam wins third gold medal

Pencak Silat athlete Nguyen Van Tri on August 29 won the third gold medal for Vietnam at ASIAD 18 (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – Pencak Silat athlete Nguyen Van Tri on August 29 won the third gold medal for Vietnam at the ongoing 2018 Asian Games (ASIAD 18) in Indonesia.

Tri pocketed the gold after defeating his Malaysian rival Mohd Khaizul Yaacob 5-0 in the final round of the men’s Tanding under 95kg.

He previously secured a world bronze medal in 2016, an Asian silver in 2017 and a gold at the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) in 2017.

With Tri’s gold, Vietnamese Pencak Silat athletes brought home one gold, four silver and three bronze medals.

Two days ago, track-and-field athlete Bui Thi Thu Thao secured the second gold medal for Vietnam at ASIAD 2018. Thao triumphed in the women’s long jump with a leap of 6.55m, securing the country’s first-ever gold medal in track and field at the continental sporting event. 

Earlier, the female rowing team secured the first gold medal for Vietnam after finishing the women’s lightweight quadruple sculls event in 7 minutes and 01.11 seconds.

The Vietnamese delegation consists of 523 people, including 352 athletes. It aims to snatch at least three gold medals at ASIAD 2018, which is taking place in two major Indonesian cities - Jakarta and Palembang - from August 13 to September 2.

At the previous ASIAD in 2014, Vietnam won one gold, 10 silver and 25 bronze medals, ranking 21st in the overall medal tally.-VNA