Vietnamese volleyball player breaks world record

The 21-year-old was playing in the tournament for Ninh Binh Doveco against Than Quang Ninh on April 21. Ninh Binh won 3-2 to finish third in the tournament.

Nguyen Thi Bich Tuyen at the Vietnam National Volleyball Championship 2021. Photo courtesy of Vietnam Volleyball Federation.

The previous world record of 59 points was set by Cuban male player Leonardo Leyva in 2013.

Tuyen was hailed by the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) for her stellar performance and stealing "the limelight."

It said on its website: "Bich Tuyen's strength lies in lightning-fast and powerful attacks described incredibly as the same destructive power as male athletes. It seems that Bich Tuyen was born to play volleyball."

Her appearance on the AVC website sparked off comments about her gender just as happened to Indonesian player Aprilia Manganang.

It turned out that Manganang was indeed a man after a gender test.

Some also defended Tuyen saying she looks like a woman.