Ten days after the 25th Southeast Asian Games, the board that annually selects outstanding coaches and athletes has chosen its nominees.

Runner Vu Thi Huong

This year Vietnam was very successful in two big events, the Asian Indoor Games and the SEA Games, so the board decided to vote 15 outstanding athletes instead of 10 and also 7 instead of 5 outstanding coaches.

With seven gold medals at SEA Games, all the best track-and-field athletes are on the nomination list, including runner Vu Thi Huong (women’s 100 and 200m), runner Truong Thanh Hang (women’s 800 and 1500m), Vu Van Huyen (men’s decathlon) , runner Nguyen Dinh Cuong (men’s 800m and 1500m), and high jumper Duong Thi Viet Anh.

According to sports analysts, track-and-field will rule the top 15 outstanding athletes of the year. Swimmer Nguyen Huu Viet is a sure bet as well because he won gold medals at three consecutive SEA Games and he set a new record at the 25^th SEA Games. Though he didn’t win a medal at the SEA Games, Tien Minh is a highly possible candidate because he is listed as a top ten badminton player in the world.

Equal with the number of gold medals they won in the recent SEA Games, there are four shooters, six pencak silat, four karate and three taekwondo artists on the nomination list.

Members of the women’s football squad.

Football contributes five nominees, including three members of the women’s football team Doan Thi Kim Chi, Van Thi Thanh and Dang Thi Kieu Trinh. Earning the silver medal, the men’s national football squad has two nominees, Thanh Luong and Tien Thanh.

Some new faces that brightened the SEA Games 2009 also appear on the list: weightlifters Duong Thanh Truc and Nguyen Thi Phuong Loan, billiard&snooker player Luong Chi Dung.

Outstanding sportsmen at the Asian Indoor Games 2009 like Thu Ha – Ba Dong (sport aerobic), Ngo Thi Phuong (boxing), Hong Thy – Minh Truong (dance sport) are also named.

Among the nominees for outstanding coaches are Nguyen Dinh Minh, Ho Thi Tu Tam (athletics), Dang Anh Tuan (swimming), Le Cong, Pham Quoc Trong (Karate), Le Minh Khuong (Taekwondo), Nguyen Duc Long (table tennis), Nguyen Xuan Hai, Mai The Lam (Pencak Silat), Hoang Thi Kim Cuc (weight lifting), Nguyen Thi Nhung (shooting).

The organizing board will announce its list of outstanding coaches and athletes on the morning of December 31.

PV