VIETNAM’S most celebrated powerlifting athlete Le Van Cong aims to continue his gold-medal winning feats in the ASEAN Para Games Kuala Lumpur 2017.
Van Cong began powerlifting at the age of 22 and won gold medal in the 48kg weight class in his debut at the ASEAN Para Games in 2007 with a 152.2kg lifting record.
Since then the 33-year-old, who was born prematurely in 1984 with legs too small to use, continued breaking records and the pinnacle of his achievements was a gold medal at the 2016 Rio Paralympics.
“I am aiming for my sixth gold medal in the ASEAN Para Games,” said Van Cong, an electrical engineer by profession, through an interpreter. “It is going to be very competitive here and I will do my best for my country.”
Vietnamese contingent Chef de mission, Nguyen Ngoc Anh, said apart from weightlifting, they are banking on athletics and swimming to deliver the golds.
“Over the last one month, our athletes have undergone intensive trainings and are here brimming with confidence. However, the ASEAN Para Games is not all about winning medals. We are here to foster friendship with athletes from 10 other nations,” said Ngoc Anh.
Vietnam powerlifting head coach, Nguyen Hong Phuc, observed: “We have the capability of winning four gold medals. This assessment is based on the performance of our power lifters during training.”
