Swimmer Anh Vien crowned best Vietnamese athlete of 2014

Army swimmer Nguyen Thi Anh Vien has been named the most valuable Vietnamese athlete of 2014, the result of the vote for the year’s outstanding players and trainers out this morning.

This is the second consecutive year Anh Vien has received the honour.

The 18-year-old girl overcame many other candidates, in a poll conducted among 200 sports journalists, to claim the honour for the second consecutive year with an overwhelming score of 1,077 points.

Anh Vien had a fruitful 2014 with prolific achievements at both domestic and international competitions. She set the historic milestone as the first Vietnamese swimmer to be listed in the world’s top 10 in the women’s 400m medley event by the International Swimming Federation (FINA).

Vien also performed brilliantly to bring home the women’s 200m medley gold medal at the second Youth Olympic Games (YOG) in Nanjing, China, which was also Vietnam’s first swimming gold at a YOG competition.

Among the top ten athletes of 2014 were Hoang Xuan Vinh (shooting, 975 points), Thach Kim Tuan (weightlifting, 944), Duong Thuy Vy (wushu, 678), Phan Thi Ha Thanh (gymnastics, 677), Quach Thi Lan (athletics, 381), Nguyen Hoang Ngan (karate, 228), Nguyen Thi That (cycling, 223), Nguyen Tien Minh (badminton, 194) and Bui Thi Thu Thao (athletics, 150).

Huynh Huu Chi, who trains Thach Kim Tuan, was voted as the most outstanding trainer of the year with 439 points, trailed by Dang Anh Tuan (swimming, 424), Nguyen Thi Nhung (shooting, 234), Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy (gymnastics, 194) and Phan Quoc Vinh (wushu, 94).

Swimmer Vo Thanh Tung—the winner of five Asian Para Games gold medals—won the ‘best disabled athlete’ title with 499 points, while swimming trainer Dong Quoc Cuong was named the best trainer of athletes with disabilities for the second consecutive year earning 455 points.

(Source: nhandan.org.vn)