Korean coach reveals criteria for selecting Vietnam team members; Indian athlete retires after losing Olympic medal due to being 100 grams overweight

Indian athlete retires after losing Olympic medal due to being 100 grams overweight

Female wrestler Vinesh Phogat suddenly announced her retirement less than a day after being unfortunately eliminated from the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Vinesh Phogat wrote on social media on August 8: “Mom, wrestling has won, I have lost. Your dreams and my courage have both been shattered. I have no more strength. Goodbye wrestling 2001-2024. I will always be grateful to you.”

Phogat was scheduled to face Sarah Hildebrandt of the United States in the 50kg freestyle wrestling Gold Medal match on August 7. She had a chance to make history by becoming the first Indian wrestler to win an Olympic Gold Medal. However, the same morning, Phogat was informed by the organizing committee that she was disqualified for being 100 grams overweight.

Phogat was shocked after the organizers decided not to award him any medals. The 29-year-old athlete fainted on the spot due to dehydration and was rushed to the hospital immediately afterwards.

Phogat's retirement left a legacy of regret for Indian sports. She received support from many fans, leaders of her home country as well as many other athletes, all of whom called her the pride of India.

Phogat was born in 1994 and won a gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games. At the 2016 and 2021 Olympics, she reached the quarterfinals. In recent years, Phogat has mainly competed in the 53 kg category, but has lost weight to compete in the 50 kg category at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Korean coach reveals criteria for selecting Vietnam team members

A tall central defender, a technical midfielder, and a cunning striker are the basic criteria for coach Kim Sang-sik to choose the Vietnamese team's personnel.

The above criteria were revealed by fellow Korean assistant Choi Won-kwon, the "right-hand man" of strategist Kim Sang-sik. "From the coaching staff's professional perspective, we need tall central defenders, technical midfielders and cunning strikers," assistant Choi emphasized.

The Vietnam team currently also has a number of players who meet the criteria set by the coaching staff. In defense, Bui Hoang Viet Anh and Nguyen Thanh Binh are central defenders with very good physiques. Although Que Ngoc Hai is not as tall as his two juniors, he is also very thick, good at heading the ball, not afraid of collisions and has a lot of experience. In the midfield, it is easy to name many technical midfielders such as Hoang Duc, Quang Hai, Tuan Anh, Van Khang, Van Truong... In attack, the Vietnam team currently also has a very mischievous striker like Van Toan, Tuan Hai...

According to plan, coach Kim Sang-sik and his team will gather from August 31 to prepare for the FIFA Days lasting from September 2-10.

Nguyen Thi Huong stops, Vietnamese sports say goodbye to 2024 Olympics

On the afternoon of August 8 (Vietnam time), the last representative of the Vietnamese Sports Delegation, rower Nguyen Thi Huong, could not win a ticket to the semi-finals of the Canoeing event in the women's single sculls C1-200m, thereby saying goodbye to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Thus, the Vietnamese Sports Delegation officially closed the 2024 Paris Olympics after the competition day of August 8, when no athletes participated in the competition.

Meanwhile, other Southeast Asian sports delegations won medals, including: Thailand won its first Gold Medal when Panipak Wongpattanakit successfully defended her title in the women's under-49kg taekwondo category; in addition, it also won 2 Silver Medals and 2 Bronze Medals, ranking 31st overall. The Philippines won a double Gold Medal thanks to gymnastics star Carlos Yulo, ranking 34th overall. Malaysia won 2 Bronze Medals, Indonesia 1 Bronze Medal.

Nam Dinh announces last foreign player

On the afternoon of August 8, Nam Dinh FC officially announced a new contract - central defender Walber Motta from Brazil. This is Nam Dinh's 5th foreign player before the 2024/25 season.

After completing the contract signing procedures, the new Nam Dinh player had his first training session with his teammates during the training trip in Phu Yen.

Walber Motta was born in 1997, 1.87m tall, highly appreciated for his agile playing style and good situational judgment.

Motta is expected to strengthen Nam Dinh Club's defense, aiming for success in both the domestic arena and the Asian C2 tournament.

Before joining Nam Dinh, Motta played football for 7 years in Brazil and played for clubs in the Brazilian national championship and Serie B such as Atletico Paranaense, Cuiaba Esporte Clube, Gremio, Novorizontino, Agua Santa Guarani.

Walber Motta is Nam Dinh's third new player. Previously, the team successfully signed two players, Joseph Mpande and Tran Van Trung.

Currently, the reigning V.League champion owns a squad of quality foreign players including Lucas Araujo, Hendrio da Silva, Rafaelson Fernandes, Mpande Joseph and most recently Walber Motta./.