Vietnam's 14-year-old swimming phenom vies at Asian Games

Swimmer Nguyen Thuy Hien wins a bronze medal for Vietnam at SEA Games 32 on May 8, 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Hieu Luong

At the Vietnam National Games in 2022, Hien, borned in 2009, won two gold medals in the 50m breaststroke and 50m freestyle, and two silver medals in the 50m butterfly and 200m freestyle.

The SEA Games 32 in May was Hien's first international tournament and she won a bronze medal in the women's 100m freestyle event. The young swimmer performed well and was complimented by Southeast Asia's number-one swimming star Quah Ting Wen of Singapore.

At the 2023 Southeast Asian Youth Swimming Championship in August, Hien won the 50m butterfly gold medal and broke the 100m freestyle record with a record of 57.09 seconds for the 14-15 age group.

With the recent impressive achievements, Hien has been selected for Vietnam's national swimming team, which will participate in the 19th Asian Games. She is also the youngest athlete on the Vietnamese sports team.

The 19th Asian Games will take place in Hangzhou, China from September 23 to October 8. The Vietnam swimming team will bring 15 members to the tournament. The Asian Games swimming event will start on September 24.