Top Vietnamese athletes of 2017

Nguyen Thi Anh Vien (swimming)

The "little mermaid" from Can Tho city produced an extraordinary 2017, winning two golds and one silver medal and breaking one record at the fifth Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG 5), in addition to a sparkling collection of eight individual golds, two silvers and three records at the 29th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

Most recently, Anh Vien was named as the best Vietnamese athlete of the year for the fourth time after winning the most votes from journalists and sports aficionados. This is a worthy reward for the 21-year-old swimmer's exceptional contributions to the national sport.

Le Tu Chinh (athletics)

Le Tu Chinh has emerged as a shining star of Vietnamese athletics in short distances. On her debut at the SEA Games arena, the 1997-born athlete affirmed herself as the new "queen of speed" in the region with a hattrick of gold medals in the 100m dash, 200m dash and 4x100m relay (breaking the Games record).

In addition, Tu Chinh also claimed the 60m dash silver medal at the AIMAG 5 in Turkmenistan.

Thach Kim Tuan (weightlifting)

2017 was a fruitful year for the 1994-born weightlifter as he struck gold medals in the regional, continental and global arenas.

Specifically, Thach Kim Tuan swept all three gold medals in the men's 56kg category (snatch, clean and jerk, and total lift) at the IWF World Championships 2017 in the United States.

Previously, Tuan had taken the top honour twice in the same weight class at the SEA Games and AIMAG 5, with respective total lifts of 269kg and 282kg.

Le Thanh Tung (gymnastics)

Vietnamese gymnastics currently possesses a generation of promising talents, with Le Thanh Tung being among the most outstanding names.

The 1995-born athlete showcased exceptional form at the recent 29thSEA Games in Malaysia, bringing home three gold medals for Vietnam in the men's vault, horizontal bar and team events. In addition, the "hot boy" of Vietnamese gymnastics pocketed an Asian title and another at the World Challenge Cup competition in 2017.

Le Van Cong (powerlifting)

A year after performing the 2016 Paralympic miracle, lifter Le Van Cong continued to bring glory to Vietnam as he brilliantly captured the gold medal and broke the world record in the men's 49kg category at the World Para Powerlifting Championships in Mexico.

Earlier at the ASEAN Para Games 2017, the Ha Tinh-born powerlifter was also invincible in the same weight division, securing a gold medal and breaking a record with a lift of 181kg. It was Cong's fifth title as well as his fifth record achieved at the ASEAN Para Games arena.

Nguyen Huu Kim Son (swimming)

Despite his young age of 15, Kim Son created a storm on his SEA Games debut by taking the top honour in the men's 400m medley event. With a time of 4 minutes 22.12 seconds, Son broke the record that had existed for 14 years at the SEA Games arena.

Over two months after the SEA Games 2017 success, the young swimmer continued to shine brightly at the Southeast Asian (SEA) Age Group Swimming Championship in Brunei, contributing four gold and two silver medals to Vietnam's tally, alongside two new records in the boys' 14-15 400m freestyle and 200m medley categories.

Duong Thuy Vi (wushu)

Thuy Vi opened Vietnam's gold medal rush at the 29thSEA Games by winning the women's jianshu competition with 9.67 points. A day later, she went on to bring home a second individual gold after convincing the referees with an eye-catching qiangshu performance, which was also given a mark of 9.67.

Following the SEA Games success, the Hanoi-born wushu artist outperformed 16 competitors to take the top honour in the qiangshu event at the 2017 World Wushu Championships in Kazan, Russia.

Nguyen Thi Huyen (athletics)

At the 29thSEA Games in Malaysia, Nguyen Thi Huyen lived up to expectations by claiming the women's 400m, 400m hurdles and 4x400m relay titles. Earlier in July, the Nam Dinh-born athlete also finished first in the 400 metres hurdles category, clocking a time of 56.14 seconds, breaking her own record set at the 2015 SEA Games.

2017 marked another memorable milestone for Huyen as she officially got married in July.

(Source: NDO)