Huu Viet takes silver at swimming
champs

Due to injury, Southeast Asian Games gold
medallist Nguyen Huu Viet could only grab a silver medal in the men’s 200m
breaststroke at the National Short-Course Swimming Championships in Hue city on
Tuesday.

The Army’s swimmer Nguyen Tien Hung won
gold.

It was the first time ever in the five
recent years, Viet had finished in second place in a domestic swimming event.

Olympian Viet also withdrew from the 50m
breaststroke on Tuesday because of injury.

On the same day, teenager Tran Thi Kim
Tuyen of HCM City brought home four gold medals in the women’s 200m backstroke,
200m medley, 400m freestyle and 4×100m medley to help her team lead the medals
table with 11 golds.

On Monday, the 16-year-old girl also won
four gold medals.

Athletes, coaches to be honoured

A ceremony to honour
the most outstanding athletes and coaches of the year will be held at the Ha Noi
Opera House on Sunday.

The event marks the
65th anniversary of Viet Nam Sports Day (March 27).

In a poll in January,
hundreds of journalists and sports aficionados cast their votes for the top 15
athletes and coaches of the year.

Sprinter Vu Thi Huong,
25, who won a bronze medal in the women’s 100m and a silver in the 200m at the
Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, topped the poll for the second time in a row.

At the ceremony, the
national sports administration will present cash-prizes to the winners.

Gold medal winners
from the Asian Games will receive VND70 million ($3,600) and Southeast Asian
Games gold medallists will pocket VND45 million ($2,300).

VN kickboxers to compete at world
championship

Three Vietnamese kickboxers were
outstanding in their victories in the qualifying rounds and quarter-finals to
qualify for the World Semi-professional Muay Thai Championships semi-finals in
Thailand on Tuesday.

They include Asian Indoor Games gold
medallist, Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat from HCM City, Southeast Asian Games silver
medallist Phan Thi Ngoc Linh of HCM City and kickboxer Van Dai.

Earlier, Vietnamese players won two golds,
five silvers and two bronzes at the eight World Amateur Muay Thai Championships
in Thailand on Sunday.

At the world amateur event last year,
Vietnamese boxers surprised the world by winning three golds and one bronze
medal. They finished third out of 45 teams.

Ha Noi T&T win under-19 Kova Paint
Football Cup

Ha Noi T&T won the National U-19 Kova Paint
Cup Football Championship, after defeating Song Lam Nghe An 7-6 in the final
match’s penalty shoot-out in Phu Tho Province’s Viet Tri stadium on Tuesday.

The winner received a cash prize of VND60
million (US$2,700) while the runners-up took home VND40 million ($1,800). The
two third-placed teams including Hoa Phat Ha Noi and Dong Tam Long An received
VND25 million ($1,100) each.

The event’s best player went to Tran Van
Tam of Ha Noi T&T.

Twenty-two teams participated in the
qualifying round of the tournament which kicked off on January 5 and lasted
until March 3. They were divided into three groups competing on a two match
round robin basis to decide eight teams for the knock-out round.

In the knock-out round, the teams played on
a home and away basis. The four winners of this round qualified for the
semi-finals and the winners went on to the final.

Charity golf tourney to help disadvantaged
children

More than 250 golfers will compete in a charity golf
tournament called Swing for the Kids at Hoa Binh Province’s Phuong Hoang course
on April 10, the organising committee said on Tuesday.

The five-year-old tournament has raised
VND3 billion (US$140,000) to provide $500 scholarships to disadvantaged children
and underprivileged students.

Organisers said part of the fund raising
effort would be centred on auctioning a jersey worn by English football star
Michael Owen.

The tournament is sponsored by the
Investment Review.

Last year’s tournament at Ha Noi’s Van Tri
golf course drew nearly 200 diplomats and representatives from international
organisations in Viet Nam.

VietNamNet/Viet
Nam News