Binh Duong sports rise from SEA Games 32

Although the result is not as good as the 31st SEA Games in Vietnam, the quiet contributions of Binh Duong coaches and athletes to the overall achievement of the Vietnamese sports delegation at the 32nd SEA Games helped Vietnam win the first place in the entire team category for the first time at a Southeast Asian Games that was not held at home.

Chess player Lai Ly Huynh will go even further in the future after winning the gold medal at the 32nd SEA Games.

At the end of the 32nd SEA Games, the Vietnamese sports delegation won first place in team category, with 136 gold medals, 105 silver medals, and 114 bronze medals. Among these, Binh Duong's athletes contributed to the overall achievement with 1 gold, 2 silver, and 6 bronze medals. Binh Duong Sports attended the tournament with 17 members including 3 coaches and 14 athletes. In which, there were 10 excellent athletes who competed with great effort, contributed to valuable medals of Binh Duong sports particularly and Vietnamese sports generally.

Among these, the most impressive is the gold medal of chess player Lai Ly Huynh in the men's individual standard chess category. This achievement of this veteran player has brought him closer to the international arena. This is the foundation for Lai Ly Huynh to aim for higher achievements at ASIAD 2023 that will take place in Hangzhou, China next September. Furthermore, the gold medal of Lai Ly Huynh also helped stimulate the development of chess playing in Binh Duong. Now, at public sports venues, cafes, it is easy to see chess matches of amateur players. There, as mentioning the name Lai Ly Huynh, they all know this person who has just brought home a gold medal of 32nd SEA Games for Vietnamese sports.

In addition to the above gold medal, Binh Duong coach and athlete also contributed a lot to the overall achievements of the Khmer kun and karate teams. In particular, two coaches Truong Ngoc Hieu (Khmer kun) and Nguyen Thanh Duy (karate) made silent contributions on their steering bench, helped the two martial arts teams of Vietnam successfully complete the target set at the 32nd SEA Games (kun Khmer 5 gold medals, karate 6 gold medals).

Namely, two fighters Duong Duc Bao and Phan Thi Bich Lieu won 2 silver medals and Truong Cao Minh Phat took home 1 bronze. This is a remarkable effort of the Binh Duong Khmer kun fighters. Because this is a new martial art, the fighters had practiced for less than a year, but together they overcame difficulties and completed the target.

Meanwhile, in pétanque, under the guidance of coach Vu Khang Duy, two athletes Trinh Thi Kim Thanh and Tran Thi Diem Trang won 2 bronze medals. Although this achievement is not as good as when the two won gold at the 2022 National Sports Festival, the medals of the regional arena is a premise for Binh Duong sports to go further in the future. There are many reasons to explain why the performance of Binh Duong athlete was not good as desired. However, with their own efforts, the coaches and athletes of Binh Duong overcame difficulties, contributed to the overall achievement, and helped the Vietnamese sports team win first place in the team category.

With the above contributions, on May 30, at Provincial Sports Training and Competition Center, provincial leaders and Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism held a ceremony to commend and reward Binh Duong coaches and athletes with successful performance at the 32nd SEA Games. This is a recognition commensurate with what the coaches and athletes have contributed to the overall achievement of the Vietnamese sports delegation at the 32nd SEA Games.

List of Binh Duong coaches and athletes who won medals at the 32nd SEA Games

- Truong Ngoc Hieu (coach), Khmer kun

- Vu Khang Duy (coach), pétanque

- Nguyen Thanh Duy (coach), karate

- Lai Ly Huynh (athlete), chess, gold medal, men's individual standard chess 

- Duong Duc Bao (athlete), Khmer kun, silver medal, men's 48kg

- Pham Thi Bich Lieu (athlete), Khmer kun, silver medal, female kun Kru

- Truong Cao Minh Phat (athlete), Khmer kun, bronze medal, men's 63.5kg

- Nguyen Thi Trang Chi (athlete), arnis, bronze medal, women's Bantamweight

- Dinh Thi Kim Tuyen (athlete), pencak silat, bronze medal, women’s 45kg 

- Nguyen Thi Phuong Hoai (athlete), boxing, bronze medal, women's 75kg

- Trinh Thi Kim Thanh (athlete), ironball, bronze medal, women's trio

- Tran Thi Diem Trang (athlete), pétanque, bronze medal, women's trio

- Phan Diem Quynh (athlete), tennis, bronze medal, women's team.

Reported by Thai Hai - Translated by Ngoc Huynh