The Vietnam Weight-lifting Federation now plays high hope on Thach Kim Tuan at the Southeast Asian Games 2011 (SEA Games), who won a gold medal at the Youth Olympic 2010, after famous weight-lifter Hoang Anh Tuan was banned from competition for doping.

Bulgarian expert Danikow, who has close attachment to Vietnam’s weight-lifters, arrived in HCM City on March 23 to train Thach Kim Tuan.

Do Dinh Khang, chief of the Weight-lifting and Bodybuilding Division of the General Department of Sports and Physical Training, said that investment will focus on weigh-lifters Thach Kim Tuan and Tran Le Quoc Toan, who will represent Vietnam at SEA Games 2011 and Olympics in London in 2012.

Kim Tuan will be the alternative for Hoang Anh Tuan at men’s 56kg category after Anh Tuan was banned for two years.

Some experts said that it is an adventurous decision to take Kim Tuan as alternative for Anh Tuan because at the Youth Olympic 2010, the total weight that the young Kim Tuan could lift is 256kg while senior Anh Tuan could lift up to 290kg a the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and won a silver medal.

Experts said that the gap of over 30kg is very big because Kim Tuan will have only eight months to practice for the SEA Games 2011. Even at the SEA Games 25 in Laos, Anh Tuan failed to win a gold medal even though he lifted 285kg.

Kim Tuan currently ranks fifth in men’s 56kg for youth, thanks to the gold medal at the Youth Olympic 2010 in Singapore last August.

Kim Tuan’s rivals in the qualifier round of Olympic 2012 will be Chadovich Stanislav (Bulgaria, total weight 257kg), Berna Carlos (Colombia, 264kg), Chen Xiong (268kg), Long Qingquan (China - 288kg), Cha Kum Chol (North Korea - 280kg) and Eko Yuli Irawan (Indonesia, 270kg).

PV