Vien wins silver at FINA World Cup

Waterbug: Nguyen Thi Anh Vien seen competing in the recent Singapore SEA Games. The Vietnamese won a silver medal at the FINA World Cup 2015 in Moscow, Russia, on Wednesday. — File Photo

HA NOI (VNS) — Vietnamese swimmer Nguyen Thi Anh Vien has won a silver medal at the International Swimming Federation (FINA) World Cup 2015 in Moscow, Russia, in the women’s 400m medley individual event.

The Hungarian world champion, Katinka Hosszu, who dominated the women’s medley individual events at the 2015 World Aquatics Championships in Kazan, Russia, last week, easily maintained her lead and finished the race first with a time of 4min 36.25sec.

Vien, 19, completed the 400m with a time of 4:40.79 to secure a silver medal on Wednesday. The bronze medal went to Lara Grangeon of France with 4:41.54.

With a bronze medal in the women’s 200m individual medley on Tuesday, Can Tho-born swimmer Vien secured Viet Nam’s first-ever double medals at a swimming World Cup.

“After waking up in the early morning, I rush to my computer to see Vien’s results at the World Cup,” said a fan of Vien’s, Ha Chau. “I’m very happy to know she got a silver medal. I’m very proud of her victory. Today is fine.”

Launched in 1979, the World Cup gathers world-class swimmers for a series of two-day meets organised between August and November each year.

Across seven or eight locations, the circuit is structured in clusters (Middle East, Europe and Asia) and distributes US$2 million in prize money.

In the 400m individual medley at the World Swiming Championships in Kazan, Russia, Vien performed better, but she only ranked 10th in the qualifying round with a time of 4:38.78.

In the latest International Swimming Federation (FINA) rankings, Vien is world No 18 in the women’s 400m medley event (for senior swimmers) but she ranks in the top four U20 players (for young players), behind Emily Overhol of Canada who clocked a time of 4:32.52, Ye Shiwen of China (4:36.58) and Sydney Pickrem of Canada (4:38.03).

Heading to Olympics

“The target we set for Vien is to get more medals in the 2016 Olympics and win gold in the 18th Asian Games in 2018,” said Nguyen Duc Hanh, chairman of Viet Nam Aquatic Sports Association.

“We feel very happy with Vien’s first success in a world competition. This proved that our investment in Vien has been worth it,” Hanh added.

Vien, who is training in the US, was a phenomenon at the 28th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Singapore in June. She won eight gold medals, one silver, and one bronze; she also broke eight SEA Games records. She has become one of Viet Nam’s most prominent athletes.

Yesterday Vien and her coach Dang Anh Tuan left for France to participate in the World Cup’s second stage starting tomorrow. — VNS

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