Thach Kim Tuan is Vietnam's top hope for the men's 56kg category atthe upcoming 17th Asian Games (ASIAD) in the Republic of Korea (RoK),following an impressive performance at the recent Junior WorldWeightlifting Championships in Russia.
Tuan won three goldmedals and set two junior world records at the world event. With thetotal lift of 293kg, Tuan now ranks first in the world in the men's 56kgweight category.
"Tuan is having the best run of his career. Atthe age of 20, he is very fit. If he competes like he does in practice,he will be on track for a gold medal," said coach Huynh Huu Chi.
Accordingto Chi, Tuan is achieving even better results in his training sessionsthan his title-winning performance in Russia and has raised his totallift to 300kg.
"At the world event, Tuan's result of 293kg wasachieved in his second attempt. Tuan could have improved this result inthe third attempt but I stopped him. That was enough for him to takegold," Chi added.
According to the International WeightliftingFederation (IWF), the three best weightlifters in the men's 56kg at theend of last year were Om Yun Chol of the Democratic People’s Republic ofKorea (total lift of 289kg), Long Qingquan of China (287kg) and Tuan(283kg).
While Tuan has increased last year's lift by more than10kg, he will face problems if these rivals have recorded bigger gains.Neither Chol nor Quingquan have competed at events leading up to theASIAD but new contenders from other countries may also pose a threat.
"Now I don't mind, but I must to do my best at the Asiad. I will try to bring victory for my country," Tuan said.
The 17th ASIAD will take place from September 19 until October 4, with weightlifting rounds slated for September 20-26.
Resting up
After his Russian win, Tuan completed training in Hungary.
Whenreturning to Vietnam, the coach wants Tuan to focus on his game and notbe distracted. The instructor fears that his student could be targetedby doping rings after his former trainee Hoang Anh Tuan received atwo-year ban from the IWF for testing positive for performance enhancingdrugs at the world weightlifting championships in Turkey in 2010.
AnhTuan, who is Vietnam's best ever weightlifter and won silver medals atthe 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2006 Asian Games in Doha, missed theGuangzhou ASIAD in 2010.
Coach Chi has been carefully monitoring Tuan's nutrition and daily routines, considering him a child of his own.
Tuan'sparents died when he was three. He and his siblings left their hometownfor Ho Chi Minh City in 1997 where they made a living selling fruit,soya milk and lottery tickets.
Tuan decided to join the city'sweightlifting team when he was 12 with the simple thought that if he washealthy, it would help them to earn more money for his family.
Yearslater, he won silver and two bronze medals at the 2011 World JuniorWeightlifting Championships. This was followed by a silver medal at theAsian Weightlifting Championships in 2013 and a gold medal in theSoutheast Asian Games last year.-VNA
Tuan won three goldmedals and set two junior world records at the world event. With thetotal lift of 293kg, Tuan now ranks first in the world in the men's 56kgweight category.
"Tuan is having the best run of his career. Atthe age of 20, he is very fit. If he competes like he does in practice,he will be on track for a gold medal," said coach Huynh Huu Chi.
Accordingto Chi, Tuan is achieving even better results in his training sessionsthan his title-winning performance in Russia and has raised his totallift to 300kg.
"At the world event, Tuan's result of 293kg wasachieved in his second attempt. Tuan could have improved this result inthe third attempt but I stopped him. That was enough for him to takegold," Chi added.
According to the International WeightliftingFederation (IWF), the three best weightlifters in the men's 56kg at theend of last year were Om Yun Chol of the Democratic People’s Republic ofKorea (total lift of 289kg), Long Qingquan of China (287kg) and Tuan(283kg).
While Tuan has increased last year's lift by more than10kg, he will face problems if these rivals have recorded bigger gains.Neither Chol nor Quingquan have competed at events leading up to theASIAD but new contenders from other countries may also pose a threat.
"Now I don't mind, but I must to do my best at the Asiad. I will try to bring victory for my country," Tuan said.
The 17th ASIAD will take place from September 19 until October 4, with weightlifting rounds slated for September 20-26.
Resting up
After his Russian win, Tuan completed training in Hungary.
Whenreturning to Vietnam, the coach wants Tuan to focus on his game and notbe distracted. The instructor fears that his student could be targetedby doping rings after his former trainee Hoang Anh Tuan received atwo-year ban from the IWF for testing positive for performance enhancingdrugs at the world weightlifting championships in Turkey in 2010.
AnhTuan, who is Vietnam's best ever weightlifter and won silver medals atthe 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2006 Asian Games in Doha, missed theGuangzhou ASIAD in 2010.
Coach Chi has been carefully monitoring Tuan's nutrition and daily routines, considering him a child of his own.
Tuan'sparents died when he was three. He and his siblings left their hometownfor Ho Chi Minh City in 1997 where they made a living selling fruit,soya milk and lottery tickets.
Tuan decided to join the city'sweightlifting team when he was 12 with the simple thought that if he washealthy, it would help them to earn more money for his family.
Yearslater, he won silver and two bronze medals at the 2011 World JuniorWeightlifting Championships. This was followed by a silver medal at theAsian Weightlifting Championships in 2013 and a gold medal in theSoutheast Asian Games last year.-VNA
