Paralympics
Vietnamese athlete Cao Ngọc Hùng is introduced before competing in the Tokyo Paralympics’ men’s javelin on August 28. Photo screen shot
HÀ NỘI — Cao Ngọc Hùng managed his seasonal best at the Tokyo Paralympics’ men’s javelin throw on Saturday, but it wasn’t enough to earn a medal.
Hùng, who won bronze at the last Paralympics and is the current Southeast Asian Games champion, threw 43.91m in his sixth attempt to rank sixth at the Olympics Stadium.
At the Rio de Janeiro Games five years ago, Hùng claimed a bronze medal with a 43.27m throw. His medal is the first and only one of Việt Nam’s track and field paralympic history.
Hamed Heidari of Azerbaijan took a gold with 51.42m result which is also a new world and Paralympic record.
Amanolah Papi of Iran was second. He set up Asian record of 49.50m.
Former world champion Cicero Valdiran Lins Nobre of Brazil whose world record was broken by Papi finished third with his seasonal best of 48.93m.
Earlier, Vietnamese swimmer Đỗ Thanh Hải earned better results at his second Paralympics.
Hải came sixth in the men’s 100m breaststroke SB5 finals with a time of 1min 35.68sec. It was five seconds faster than he swam five years ago when he finished seventh in Rio.
Later Saturday, Trịnh Thị Bích Như finished seventh in the women’s 100m breaststroke SB5 finals with a time of 1min 53sec. Her result and position, however, were not as good as what she performed in Rio.
In the morning, regional leading athlete Nguyễn Thị Hải competed in the women’s discus throw F57 event.
She threw 27.39m which is her seasonal best but was not enough to push her to top three. Hải ranked ninth.
She will take part in the women’s shot put on September 2.
Vietnamese athletes will have a free day on Sunday before they are back in action on Monday with Như in her last competition in the women’s 50m butterfly S6 event and Võ Thanh Tùng in the men’s 50m freestyle S5. It is Tùng’s strongest event and he is aiming to win Việt Nam’s second medal from Tokyo. VNS
