From The Star
NAYPYITAW: Outside the pool, Nguyen Thi Anh Vien could easily be mistaken for a model because of her height.
Nguyen Thi Anh Vien bagged golds in the women’s 200m individual medley and 200m backstroke, becoming Vietnam’s first female swimming gold medallist at the SEA Games.
But the lanky Anh Vien isn’t.
And she showed that she’s not just a pretty face by becoming Vietnam’s first female swimming gold medallist with a new SEA Games record at the Wunna Theikdi Aquatic Centre on Thursday.
The 17-year-old Anh Vien, who stands at 1.72m tall, handed Vietnam double cheer by bagging golds in the women’s 200m individual medley and 200m backstroke.
The teenager was delighted to finally climb on top of the podium after taking two silver medals in the 200m backstroke and the 400m individual medley at the last SEA Games in Indonesia two years ago.
“I’ve never won at the SEA Games before … this is a happy moment for me, to be the first in Vietnam. I know my timings were good for the gold medal but I didn’t know about strength of the other competitors,” said Anh Vien, who is targeted for the 100m backstroke title as well.
Anh Vien is seen as the great hope for Vietnamese swimming due to her height and long arm span.
Read the full results from the Star.
