On the sidelines of ASIAD 19

Phung Thi Hue's proud medal collection

Vietnamese jujitsu athlete Phung Thi Hue won the bronze medal with the advantage of the "golden goal". The leader of the Vietnamese jujitsu team, Tran Van Thach, said: Hue tried her best when she was put in a difficult position by the Thai athlete, but she managed to equalize the score and bring the medal match into the golden goal in extra time.

Phung Thi Hue's efforts are remarkable because when she entered the 19th ASIAD, she weighed only 46 kg, was promoted to the women's under 48 kg category and had to compete with 19 experienced and highly skilled athletes from other countries. The 30-year-old Vietnamese female martial artist has only switched from wrestling to jujitsu for less than two years, but has already won a proud set of medals. That is the 2021 World Gold Medal, the 2023 Asian Gold Medal, the 31st SEA Games Gold Medal, the 2023 World Silver Medal and now the 19th ASIAD Bronze Medal.

Overcoming difficulties to win medals

Bringing home the second bronze medal for Vietnamese sports yesterday was not only the determination but also the great effort of karate fighter Dinh Thi Huong. In addition to her remarkable progress in her skills, in order to compete in the women's under-68 kg weight class, Huong had to continuously gain weight. At the 31st SEA Games in 2022, she was the one who brought home a bronze medal in the 50 kg class and just over a year later, she competed in the under-68 kg class at the 19th ASIAD.

This was not easy and Huong had to try to eat a lot in the three weeks before the congress to gain a maximum of about 11 kg, enough weight to meet the registration content standards. Even eating a lot to meet the weight sometimes caused Huong to have some digestive problems. This was a huge effort, with many difficulties for a young girl, but as she said, "In sports, if you want to achieve results, you have to know how to sacrifice."

ASIAD 19 and interesting records

This year’s Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, has made a deep impression with world records outside of sports. The first record is the largest number of people participating in an environmental protection campaign at a sports event in a year. Next is the record of more than 1 billion people from 130 countries and territories participating in the torch relay.

This is because the 19th ASIAD torch relay and lighting ceremony on the cauldron used digital components, allowing everyone to participate via the internet. The 19th ASIAD also set a record for the "smartest" event when digital technology and automation were thoroughly applied, bringing many conveniences. Especially the use of "robot dogs" at sports centers and the congress village when performing the task of retrieving and carrying equipment for athletes or being able to dance and interact with people.

Volleyball team gets bonus

Immediately after the victory over North Korea and the first time in history to reach the semi-finals, the Vietnamese women's volleyball team was awarded a bonus of 200 million VND by the Vietnam Volleyball Federation to encourage and boost the players' fighting spirit. If they pass the semi-finals, the bonus for the team will certainly be much larger.

Fifth athlete found to be doping at ASIAD 19

On October 5, the International Doping Agency (ITA) announced that kurash athlete Tejen Tejenov of the Turkmenistan Sports Delegation has been suspended from competing at the 19th ASIAD for testing positive for banned substances. The 30-year-old boxer tested positive for anabolic steroids, which are natural synthetic chemicals that help increase muscle mass. This is the fifth athlete to test positive for banned substances at this Asian Games. Previously, there were four cases of suspension for doping, including Uzbek cyclist Aleksey Fomovskiy, Philippine mountain biker Ariana Evangelista, Saudi Arabian track and field athlete Yousef Mohammed Alasiri and boxer Mohammad Khaibar Nooristani of the Afghanistan Sports Delegation.

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