Young Vietnamese swimmer stunned after defeating superstar who has won 20 SEA Games gold medals.

In terms of international reputation, swimmer Vo Thi My Tien is hardly comparable to Quah Jing Wen (Singapore). But then a surprise happened when the two competed today, December 10th.

Top row from left: Vo Thi My Tien (silver medal), Kawanchanok Kwanmuang (gold medal) and Quah Jing Wen (bronze medal) - Photo: NAM TRAN

On the opening day of the SEA Games 33, Vo Thi My Tien competed in her first final event, the 200m butterfly. This is Tien's strongest event domestically, where she has virtually no rivals.

However, stepping onto the international stage, My Tien is still not a prominent name. In the 200m butterfly swimming final on the evening of December 10th, the young Vietnamese swimmer had to face many strong opponents. Among them was Singaporean athlete Quah Jing Wen, who has won 20 SEA Games gold medals, 4 of which were in the 200m butterfly event.

The Singaporean athlete also comes from a swimming family, with her sister Quah Ting Wen and brother Quah Zheng Wen, both superstars with numerous SEA Games gold medals and regular Olympic qualification.

In addition, the home swimmer from Thailand, Kawanchanok Kwanmuang, was also highly regarded in the 200m butterfly event. However, My Tien had a brilliant day of competition. She consistently maintained her position in the top rankings.

Vo Thi My Tien made a remarkable sprint in the women's 200m butterfly final - Photo: NAM TRAN

In the final 50 meters, the athlete from Tay Ninh made an impressive surge, overtaking Quah Jing Wen to surprisingly finish second, winning the silver medal with a time of 2 minutes 12.20 seconds. The winner was Kawanchanok Kwanmuang (2 minutes 11.78 seconds), while Quah Jing Wen only finished third (2 minutes 13.88 seconds).

The silver medal was an unexpected achievement for Vo Thi My Tien. Furthermore, defeating a superstar like Quah Jing Wen was also something nobody anticipated.

But the Vietnamese swimmer's day of success didn't end there. She went back into the water and brought home another bronze medal in the women's 4 x 100m freestyle relay.

Notably, before setting off, My Tien didn't set any medal goals. She shared: "I just hoped to perform my best and surpass my own best. But the further I swam, the more energetic I felt and the more I tried to speed up. I didn't pay much attention to my surroundings until I crossed the finish line and saw that I had overtaken Quah Jing Wen, which completely surprised me."

This is an unexpected achievement and I feel very happy. I'm even happier that I won two medals at this SEA Games despite not setting high goals. This will be a motivation for me to aim for the upcoming events."

Born in 2005, Vo Thi My Tien was formerly a member of Long An province and is now part of Tay Ninh province after the merger. She is a versatile athlete capable of competing in various distances, from short to medium. At national competitions, My Tien consistently brings home numerous medals for her province.

On the first day of competition, the Vietnamese swimming team had a successful day, winning 1 gold medal, 1 silver medal, and 3 bronze medals.

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DUC KHUE

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/kinh-ngu-tre-viet-nam-ngo-ngang-khi-danh-bai-sieu-sao-tung-gianh-20-hcv-sea-games-20251210203555897.htm