“There were 14 events held in total, and we won 8 golds among them. Each result was the outcome of the athletes’ efforts, but it’s important to recognize that this championship served as a test for all Southeast Asian teams ahead of the 33rd SEA Games in 2025. Every team had its own strategies. For us, the focus was on helping our lifters gain experience in Singapore,” said Nguyễn Huy Hùng, head of Vietnam’s weightlifting delegation.
The gold medal-winning athletes include: Trần Minh Trí, Phạm Thị Hồng Thanh, Trần Đình Thắng, Nguyễn Quốc Toàn, Lâm Thị Mỹ Lê, Nguyễn Quang Trường, Y Liên and Nguyễn Hoài Hương.
Speaking briefly from Singapore, athlete Trần Minh Trí shared that participating in both the 2025 Asian Championship and the Southeast Asian Championship helped him gain more confidence. “I competed to get the best possible feel. This is still a phase for building up, and our coaches are planning strategies so we can peak at the right time and achieve top results at SEA Games 33,” said Minh Trí. In Singapore, Minh Trí won the gold medal in the men’s 71kg category with a total lift of 308kg, a figure that fit into his individual competition strategy.
Of course, Vietnam approached the 2025 Southeast Asian Championship with the intent of testing technical readiness and analyzing opponents. But once on the competition platform, no Vietnamese lifter lost focus, and all completed the lifts as planned in training.
These weight categories are also part of the competition program for the 33rd SEA Games in 2025. The 2025 Southeast Asian Championship marked the first official international tournament to adopt the new weight classes set by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF), in which Vietnam participated. The national team has already assigned athletes to each new weight class and has been training accordingly.
On June 16, the Vietnamese weightlifting team returned home. Before competing at the 33rd SEA Games, the team will also take part in the 2025 World Championship in October.
HY