Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Hoang Thi Duyen won the first international medal of the yearfor Vietnamese athletes by finishing third at the Asian WeightliftingChampionship in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, on April 19.

SoutheastAsian Games champion Duyen competed in the women's 59kg category with heavypressure after her teammates struggled.

Three-timeWorld Cup winner Thach Kim Tuan lifted 128kg in the men's 61kg snatch event buthe failed in all three attempts in the clean & jerk, meaning he did notcome close to a medal.

Meanwhile,Vuong Thi Huyen could only place fifth in the women's 49kg with atotal lift of 177kg (78kg snatch and 99kg clean & jerk). The result was 6kgless than Huyen's personal best.

Theirfailure was attributed to their switch of weight classes. Tuan moved up from56kg to 61kg while SEA Games gold medalist Huyen went from 45kg to 49kg.

Duyen wasthe last Vietnamese hope to win a continental medal.

The24-year-old, who won three World Cup titles last January, did not falter.

Shelifted 100kg in the snatch and 116kg in the clean & jerk. Hertotal of 216kg brought her a bronze.

The goldwent to Kou Hsing-chun of Chinese Taipei with 247kg and Lou Xiaomin ofChina took silver with a 227kg lift.

It was a bigstatement from the Giay ethnic minority athlete who finished ninth at the2019 championship.

The medalwill improve her world ranking from her current seventh position and give her abetter chance of competing at the Tokyo Olympics this summer.

"Atpresent, Tuan, world No 5, and Duyen are in the safe zone to qualify forthe July Games, according to IWF rules which will select the best eight ofeach category as Olympic participants," said coach Do Dinh Khang

Huyen is atNo 12 and approaching the qualified group. But China have three lifters and theUS have two ranked higher than Huyen while the Democratic People’sRepublic of Korea's Ri Song Gum, who is No 3, has withdrawn. As the IWF allowseach country to send only one representative to the Olympics, Huyen istemporally in the top eight.

Athletesstill have a chance to improve their positions at the Pan-American and Africanchampionships in May.

However, Vietnamare still waiting for a fine from the International Weightlifting Federationafter doping scandals relating to four other athletes since 2019.

IWF rulesstate that any country with three or more doping cases during Olympicsqualification starting from November 2018 may lose their Olympic slots or evenbe banned.

Coach Khangsaid the final decision would come in May and hopefully Vietnam would beapproved for one slot./.