Le Van Cong re-establishes world record at the 7th Para Games.

On January 16th, the 7th Southeast Asian Para Games (Para Games 7) continued at the Wunna Theikdi Stadium complex, and the Vietnamese sports delegation continued to achieve impressive results, maintaining its position among the top teams.

On the morning of January 16th, Vietnamese athletics continued to receive good news when athlete Nguyen Thi Thuy won the gold medal in the long jump in the F44 disability category with a performance of 3.36m, simultaneously breaking the Para Games record. Second place also went to another Vietnamese athlete, Lai Thi Ngoc Anh, with a performance of 3.29m.

Earlier, discus thrower Cao Ngoc Hung also conquered the 45.87m mark to successfully defend his Para Games gold medal, while simultaneously breaking his own previous record.

The most notable event of the day was weightlifting. Weightlifters won two gold medals in the most impressive way. Reigning Asian champion Nguyen Binh An successfully defended his gold medal at this Games by maintaining his record of 170kg in the 54kg weight category.

Meanwhile, athlete Le Van Cong was even more outstanding than his teammate, breaking a series of Para Games records in Asia and re-establishing the world record in the 49kg weight category. Van Cong's achievement at this Games was successfully lifting 176kg, equaling the world championship achievement set by the Nigerian athlete at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

Weightlifter Van Cong won the gold medal in the 49kg category. (Photo: Huy Hung/VNA)

With the two Asian champions breaking records, Vietnamese weightlifting had a perfect morning as both athletes won gold medals. The President of the Asian Paralympic Association, Datuk Zainal, personally congratulated and presented the medals to the athletes. In addition, the Vice President of the Vietnam Paralympic Association, Nguyen Danh Nga, awarded Van Cong an extra 1 million VND.

Datuk Zainal, President of the Asian Paralympic Association, said: “I am very surprised, moved, and admire the extraordinary resilience of disabled athletes, as a Vietnamese athlete has set a world record right here in Southeast Asia. Hopefully, in the future, you will have the appropriate investment to help Van Cong achieve even greater success at the World Championships in Dubai this year.”

For his part, Le Van Cong was visibly moved during the interview: “I am very proud and honored to have achieved this. The results of many years of training under challenging conditions have helped me overcome my own limitations. I dedicate this victory to my family, friends, and all Vietnamese sports fans, especially disabled athletes. I hope everyone will strive to integrate into the community and contribute better to society.”

Swimming remains a flagship sport for Vietnam at this competition. Dong Quoc Cuong reported that by 2 PM, athletes had won an additional 5 gold medals, 3 silver medals, and 5 bronze medals. Notably, swimmer Vo Huynh Anh Khoa won his second gold medal in the 200m freestyle (S9 disability category). Anh Khoa remained unchallenged, finishing nearly 25 meters ahead of the second-place finisher and breaking the Para Games record. Dang Van Cong won a gold medal and broke the record in the 50m backstroke (S8 disability category). Pham Thanh Son won a gold medal in the 100m butterfly (S9 disability category), Nguyen Van Hanh won a gold medal in the 50m breaststroke (S12 disability category), and Nguyen Duc Thien won a gold medal in the 50m backstroke (S7 disability category).

According to VNA