Vietnam Weightlifting: Hot issue of reform

Seven key athletes from weight categories listed in the ASIAD and Olympic competition system participated in the 2024 World Weightlifting Championships held in Bahrain. The Vietnamese team ended the tournament with 1 silver and 3 bronze medals, of which Nguyen Tran Anh Tuan won a silver medal in snatch and a bronze medal in total lift in the men's 61 kg category.

At the Asian Youth and Adolescent Championships taking place in Qatar, after 3 days of competition, young Vietnamese athletes won 17 gold medals, 16 silver medals and 7 bronze medals. Of which, athlete A Tieu won 6 gold medals in the 3 movements of snatch, clean and jerk and total lift in the men's 61 kg category, including both youth and adolescent age groups.

The men's 61 kg category is highlighted because this is the last time this event - along with the women's 64 kg category - will be held in official competitions. Since June 2025, the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) has reduced the number of men's and women's weight classes from 10 to just 8. Of these, the men's 61 kg category will be changed to 60 kg and the women's 64 kg category will be changed to 63 kg.

In the context of the world of weightlifting constantly changing, the Vietnamese weightlifting team has decided to renew its personnel and strategy to go further at the ASIAD and Olympics. The failure of key weightlifter Trinh Van Vinh at the Paris Olympics and the 2024 World Championships makes the issue of reform more urgent than ever.

Young athlete A Tieu is only considered a potential candidate for the ASIAD and Olympic medals. Photo: AWF

A member of the weightlifting team's coaching staff said: "Continuously dropping weights at major events is unacceptable. We have to change before things get too far out of control."

Trinh Van Vinh failed, but luckily Nguyen Tran Anh Tuan managed to bring home a total lift of 291 kg. This is a rare bright spot, proving Vietnam's competitiveness in the context of strong opponents from Thailand, Indonesia or the Philippines always dominating.

One of the concerns is the lack of athletes capable of competing in the men's 60 kg category - the smallest category for men. This is a big challenge for the Vietnamese team because athletes in this category often have advantages in weight and strength. Weightlifter A Tieu won 6 gold medals at the Asian Youth and Adolescent Championships with a total lift of 271 kg, which seems to be quite a distance from his senior Nguyen Tran Anh Tuan, whose achievement is only in the top 3 in the world.

It is time for the team’s coaching staff to actively seek out young and potential talents to add to the squad, and consider changing training methods and competition tactics to better suit international opponents. This is an important time for Vietnamese weightlifting to renew itself, aiming to seek glory at the ASIAD and Olympic arenas.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/cu-ta-viet-nam-nong-bai-toan-cai-to-196241222212020104.htm