Supporting the next generation of Vietnamese weightlifters

Vietnam has won its first gold medal at the 2025 Asian Youth Games thanks to the spectacular victory of weightlifter Nguyen Thanh Duy. But after this success, athletes like Thanh Duy still need to be "refueled", even more than in the past.

From the impressive performance

Right after the competition in Bahrain on the evening of October 28 (Vietnam time), weightlifter Nguyen Thanh Duy surprised experts when he continuously broke the Asian youth and Asian Youth Games records in the men's 65kg weight category. He successfully lifted 156kg in the clean and jerk event, achieving a total of 276kg (snatch: 120kg, clean and jerk: 156kg).

Vietnamese weightlifters at the 2025 Asian Youth Games. Photo: Van Thang

Mr. Nguyen Huy Hung, in charge of the weightlifting department (Vietnam Sports Administration) shared that Thanh Duy could have competed for the gold medal in the snatch event, but he made an unfortunate technical error. When it came to the clean and jerk competition, the coaching staff carefully calculated the strategy and boldly registered a high weight to create a breakthrough and aim for the Gold Medal. This calculation came true when Thanh Duy performed brilliantly to successfully lift 156kg, which was considered "beyond imagination" for many people.

The 156kg clean and jerk in the 65kg category for a 16-year-old weightlifter is also very impressive. The total lift of 276kg that Thanh Duy achieved is also considered very encouraging, showing that this weightlifter can go far. In fact, if the Asian Youth Games counted medals like the Olympics, ASIAD, SEA Games, Thanh Duy would have won a gold medal in his weight class.

Thanh Duy's registration for a high weight in the clean and jerk event at the 2025 Asian Youth Games also comes from reasons that only those who are really close to him can understand. Coach Luu Van Thang, who directly trains the youth team, shared before the 2025 Asian Youth Games that Thanh Duy is an interesting unknown. This young athlete has potential, trains seriously and is very progressive, so the coaching staff believes that he can achieve many successes in the future.

Before coming to Bahrain, Nguyen Thanh Duy was considered by experts to be one of the most potential faces of the national youth weightlifting team. Previously, at the 2025 Asian Youth and Junior Weightlifting Championships in Kazakhstan in July, Thanh Duy performed impressively, winning 3 silver medals in the 65kg category with achievements of 115kg in snatch, 148kg in clean and jerk and 263kg in total.

At the 2025 National Youth Weightlifting Championship, Thanh Duy was also the only athlete to bring home 3 Gold Medals for Khanh Hoa . Since the beginning of 2025, Duy has been called up to the Vietnamese youth weightlifting team and has more conditions to improve his skills.

Coach of the national youth weightlifting team, Luu Van Thang, once compared young athletes to young trees. If they are properly trained, their skills will develop steadily when they grow up. Thanh Duy is an example of that rapid growth, not only overcoming his own limits but also contributing to writing history for Vietnamese weightlifting in the continental youth arena.

Not only Thanh Duy, at the Asian Youth Games, Vietnamese weightlifters also won Silver and Bronze medals. All of this shows that this sport in Vietnam always has human potential.

Need to invest in the right direction

The story behind the medals in youth competitions, continental and world youth sports games of Vietnamese weightlifting is still the question of what the next investment direction for young weightlifters will be. In the history of Vietnamese weightlifting, there have been young faces that shined and then stagnated due to lack of long-term investment. Among them is the case of Nguyen Tran Anh Tuan, who won the Silver Medal at the 2013 World Youth Olympics.

Anh Tuan still competes consistently at the national level but cannot break through to the top group of the continent due to the lack of continuity in the investment process. Obviously, with what has happened in recent years, Vietnamese weightlifting always has a generation of potential young athletes. However, the specific investment mechanism or the conditions for regular long-term training abroad are still problems for the weightlifters.

Some experts have commented that for a young talent like Thanh Duy to develop into a continental-level athlete, we need a systematic roadmap, in which the coaching team, nutrition, sports medicine and international competition must all be taken into account. At the age of 16, Thanh Duy is in the golden stage to perfect his technique. Without a timely investment plan, it is easy to repeat the "good start, bad end" story of previous cases.

In fact, weightlifting is a sport that requires long-term, continuous investment. Each step forward of the athlete is associated with increased intensive training, proper nutrition and especially international competitions to help compete with strong opponents. When young athletes like Nguyen Thanh Duy achieve impressive achievements like above, it is also time to ask the question of how to invest to maintain and develop these "golden seeds".

Because in the case of Thanh Duy, to be able to reach the continental level, it is necessary to achieve and continuously maintain a total lift of about 310-320kg. Even domestically, in the men's 65kg category at the recent 2025 National Weightlifting Championship, the weightlifter's achievement of winning the Gold Medal was also at 310kg.

In the next few years, whether this weightlifter can conquer the above total is still difficult to predict. Only one thing is certain, young talents like Thanh Duy always need a long-term investment roadmap to ensure they avoid injuries, avoid getting involved in the use of stimulants that can interrupt their careers. And most importantly, to develop their full potential.

Vietnam’s weightlifting gold medal at the Asian Youth Games is not just a short-term joy. It is only the beginning of a journey. And with the right support, that journey can be extended to future world championships or Olympics.

Winning all medals at the Asian Youth Games

In addition to Nguyen Thanh Duy's gold medal, at the 2025 Asian Youth Games, the Vietnamese weightlifting team also won a silver medal in the clean and jerk event by weightlifter Y Lien (53kg women's category). In addition, Y Lien also won a bronze medal in the snatch event. Besides Y Lien, two other weightlifters of Vietnam won bronze medals at this Games: Dao Thi Yen (snatch, 44kg women's category), Hung Van The (snatch, 56kg men's category). Thus, weightlifting is the only team of the Vietnamese Sports Delegation to win a full set of gold, silver and bronze medals at the 2025 Asian Youth Games. (Minh Khue)

Source: https://cand.com.vn/Tieu-diem-van-hoa/tiep-suc-cho-lop-ke-can-cu-ta-viet-nam-i786364/