Vietnam’s top swimmer blasts new Asian championship record

Vietnam’s top swimmer Nguyen Thi Anh Vien earned a gold medal and a spot in the record books after blasting through women’s 400-meter individual medley on the opening day of the 2016 Asian Championships in Japan on Thursday.

The women’s 400m individual medley final was a two-horse race between Vien and host swimmer Shimizu Sakiko, notable for earning a spot amongst the finalists in the same event at Rio 2016.

Though she had not matched her competitors speed in Rio, the 20-year-old Vietnamese held her own in Japan, touching the wall at 4:37.71 to secure a gold medal victory while smashing the old record of 4:41.29.

Sakiko finished exactly one minute behind the Vietnamese with a time of 4:40.29 to secure a silver medal.

Though a stunning victory, this is not Vien’s best time in the event.  The Vietnamese swim star finished the 400m at Rio 2016 in just 4:36.85.

Another Vietnamese swimmer, Vu Thi Phuong Anh, finished eighth in the women’s 400m individual medley at 5:11.04 in Japan yesterday.

In the men’s 400m individual medley event, Vietnam’s Tran Duy Khoi placed sixth, clocking in at 4:26.40.

The 2016 Asian Swimming Championships, now in its 10th edition, runs from November 17 to 20 at the Tatsumi International Swimming Center in Tokyo.

TTO