Thach Kim Tuan secures Vietnam's first weightlifting gold medal

With a total lift of 269kg, Thach Kim Tuan defeated the Indonesian competitor by two kilograms to bring home the first weightlifting gold medal for Vietnam at the ongoing 29th SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Thach Kim Tuan wins the men's 56kg category.

The men’s 56kg discipline witnessed a competition between six lifters from Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar and the Philippines.

Vietnamese representative, Thach Kim Tuan, registered an initial snatch of 120kg and successfully realised it in the first lift.

Despite failing in his next attempts of 125kg and 130kg, he still led the snatch competition with one kilogramme above Indonesia’s Surahmat.

In the clean and jerk contest, Tuan initially lifted 146kg before conquering the 149kg weight level at the second attempt.

The Vietnamese lifter then failed to lift 153kg in the clean and jerk, but still managed to take the top honour overall with a combined lift of 269kg, beating the next-closest competitior, Surahmat of Indonesia, by two kilograms.

The bronze medal went to Thai lifter, Witoon Mingmoon, with a lift of 259kg.

Tuan’s victory helped to increase Vietnam’s medal tally in Kuala Lumpur to 54 gold medals.

(Source: NDO)