Vietnamese swimmer Nguyen Huy Hoang won a gold medal on October 12 (Vietnam time) at the ongoing 2018 Summer Youth Olympics in Argentina.

Vietnamese swimmer Nguyen Huy Hoang (middle) triumphs in the men’s 800m freestyle at the ongoing 2018 Summer Youth Olympics in Argentina

The 18-year-old swimmer triumphed in the men’s 800m freestyle in 7:50:20, followed by Keisuke Yoshida from Japan and Marco de Tullio from Italy. 

With this result, he broke the national record of 7:54:32 which earned him a bronze medal at the recent Asian Games in Indonesia.

Hoang is among the most prominent Vietnamese athletes at the Youth Olympics. His medal is the first gold medal in swimming for Vietnam at the Games.

“I stayed focused and determined till the last second as this is the last youth competition I can participate in,” Hoang said.

Earlier, weightlifter Ngo Son Dinh pocketed the country’s first gold in the men’s 56kg event on October 7 while Nguyen Thi Thu Trang seized a silver medal in the women’s 44kg.

The Vietnamese delegation has fulfilled its target of winning at least one gold medal at the 2018 Youth Olympics.

The Summer Youth Olympic Games is a multi-sport international event held every four years for the world’s best athletes between the ages of 14 to 18. This year’s event is underway in Buenos Aires, Argentina from October 6 – 18, attracting about 4,000 athletes from 206 countries and territories competing in 32 sports.

Vietnam has sent 13 athletes to compete in athletics, swimming, weightlifting, badminton, taekwondo, gymnastics and dance sport.

At the 2014 Games, swimmer Nguyen Thi Anh Vien won a gold and weightlifter Nguyen Tran Anh Tuan brought home a silver. –VNA