The tournament, held from May 11 to 18, brought together many of Asia’s top lifters from strong weightlifting nations such as China, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), the Republic of Korea (RoK), Japan and Uzbekistan. Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines also fielded athletes capable of competing for Olympic medals.

Vietnam’s result drew attention given the strength of weightlifting in Asia. At the 2024 Asian Championships, Vietnam placed 15th, a more familiar ranking for the team at continental competitions. Vietnam currently ranks 10th in the all-time medal table of the Asian Championships.

At this year’s tournament, Vietnamese lifters won two silver medals and six bronze medals to finish eighth overall. Nguyen Hoai Huong led the team’s medal haul with two silver medals and one bronze in the women’s 53kg category.

Male lifter Lai Gia Thanh also won three bronze medals in the snatch, clean and jerk, and total events in the men’s 60kg division. The remaining two bronze medals were claimed by Quang Thi Tam in the women’s 58kg category.

Vietnam finished behind China, the DPRK, Chinese Taipei, Bahrain, Iran, Uzbekistan and Malaysia in the final standings.

The result was considered surprising as Vietnam finished ahead of the RoK, Japan, India and Kazakhstan, all regarded as strong weightlifting nations.

Two more medals for Vietnam at Asian Weightlifting Championships

VOV.VN - Vietnamese weightlifter Nguyen Hoai Huong delivered a strong performance at the 2026 Asian Weightlifting Championships in India on May 13 (local time), securing two silver medals and one bronze in the women’s 53kg category.