Olympic Games Day

The most anticipated events of the second day of the Games were the competitions on the green track.

Although December 11-12 was predicted to be a medal-winning day, victories in gymnastics, athletics, taekwondo, karate, etc., still thrilled Vietnamese fans.

Achieving the best results is difficult enough, but successfully defending the championship title won in the previous one or two tournaments is truly challenging. That's the story the Vietnamese women's karate team wants to tell their fans.

A new chapter for karate

"Kata Queen" Nguyen Thi Phuong is now a reserve, ceding her starting position to younger martial artists, and her teammates have lived up to her expectations and those of the coaching staff. The trio of Nguyen Ngoc Tram, Bui Ngoc Nhi, and Hoang Thi Thu Uyen won the gold medal in the women's team poomsae event, writing a new chapter in Vietnamese karate history.

"Frog Prince" Pham Thanh Bao defends his number one title in the men's 100m breaststroke. Photo: NGOC LINH

Same age, same hometown (Ho Chi Minh City), and both becoming champions of the Games for the second consecutive time (Dang Ngoc Xuan Thien's third time), Nguyen Van Khanh Phong and Dang Ngoc Xuan Thien will likely be remembered by Southeast Asian gymnastics fans forever. Khanh Phong dethroned the "legend" Carlos Yulo two years ago, leaving him unrivaled in the rings event. Meanwhile, Dang Ngoc Xuan Thien's three SEA Games appearances and three consecutive wins in the pommel horse event truly make him worthy of being called a hero.

Gymnastics is a niche sport, attracting a select audience and even more so, practitioners. Therefore, the fact that they have together won 5 championships (not including team titles) is truly admirable.

HCV on its first participation

Athletics is also a sport that requires athletes to train hard for a long time to succeed. Yet, 21-year-old Ho Trong Manh Hung, in his first SEA Games appearance, immediately won a gold medal in the triple jump event.

The women's 1,500m race was traditionally Nguyen Thi Oanh's "domain," but when she decided to withdraw, her two young teammates, Bui Thi Ngan and Nguyen Khanh Linh, took over exceptionally well, in the most impressive way possible. They shared the top two positions in the race, winning both the gold and silver medals.

The most anticipated events of the second day of the Games were the competitions in the swimming pool. Shortly after "Frog Prince" Pham Thanh Bao successfully defended his title in the men's 100m breaststroke, the "quartet" of Nguyen Viet Tuong, Nguyen Huy Hoang, Tran Van Nguyen Quoc, and Tran Hung Nguyen created a sensation together.

They were far behind Malaysia and only slightly ahead of Singapore in the first leg of the men's 4x200m freestyle relay. Huy Hoang and Nguyen Quoc narrowed the gap and then pulled ahead after the third leg, handing the final responsibility to Hung Nguyen. The swimmer from Quang Binh province competed fiercely with his rivals and won convincingly with a time of 7 minutes 18 seconds 67.

"The third gold medal in swimming and the 13th for the Vietnamese sports delegation after two days of competition was brought home in a very impressive way."

Source: https://nld.com.vn/ngay-cua-cac-mon-thi-olympic-196251211221242345.htm