Vietnam's ‘Little Mermaid’ named best woman athlete at SEA Games

By Huu Nhon    December 11, 2019 | 06:29 pm PT
Vietnam's ‘Little Mermaid’ named best woman athlete at SEA Games
Nguyen Thi Anh Vien prepares for a competition at the 30th SEA Games. Photo by VnExpress/Pham Duong.
Vietnamese swimmer Nguyen Thi Anh Vien was named the best woman athlete of the SEA Games after winning six gold medals and two silvers.

Vien, nicknamed "Little Mermaid," received a trophy at the closing ceremony of the 30th SEA Games in the Philippines on Wednesday.

The 23-year-old from the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho shared the spotlight with fellow swimmer, Singapore's Quah Zheng Wen, who was named the best male athlete with exactly the same medal tally as Vien.

In the two previous games, Vien, a captain in the army, had won eight gold medals each. She had set her sights on a similar tally this year but narrowly missed it, winning silver medals in 50 m backstroke and 800 m freestyle.

Vietnam won a total of 288 medals this time, including 98 golds, to finish second behind host the Philippines in the medals tally. Swimming earned Vietnam 10 gold medals, only after athletics (16) and wrestling (12).

Hanoi will host the 2021 SEA Games, the second time it will do so.

 
 
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