Vietnam rows to first Asiad 2018 gold

Luong Thi Thao, Ho Thi Ly, Ta Thanh Huyen, and Pham Thi Thao did the nation proud on Thursday, covering 2,000 meters in  7 minutes 01 second.

Iran was second (7 min 4 secs) and South Korea third with (7 min 6 secs).

Vietnam crosses the finish line first at the Asiad 2018 lightweight quadruple sculls competiton, giving the country its first gold medal of the games. Photo by VnExpress/Xuan Binh

A spectacular acceleration in the last 100 meters gave Vietnam the gold medal.

“We did not pay attention to other teams’ performances. We only focused on rowing as fast as we could,” said Ta Thanh Huyen with a big smile.

“Iran is the strongest competitor in this category. But today, our rowers entered the competition with a calm and confident mindset,” said Nguyen Trong Ho, deputy head of Vietnam's Asiad 2018 delegation. 

Vietnam now has one gold, four silver and seven bronze medals in various sports. 

About 18,000 athletes and officials are in Jakarta and co-host city Palembang for the Asian Games, a regional Olympics contest featuring 40 sports.

The Vietnamese delegation has 532 members, including 352 athletes.