Introduction
Thạch Kim Tuấn is a Vietnamese weightlifter from Ho Chi Minh City. He became widely known after winning a gold medal at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games held in Singapore, a historic achievement for Vietnamese sport at this arena.
Career
Background before the competition
According to Thanh Niên newspaper, before competing at the 2010 Youth Olympic Games, Thạch Kim Tuấn was described as a "poor weightlifter full of willpower". He had never trained abroad and had few opportunities to take part in international competitions. At this event, because there was no 50kg category, his usual weight class, he had to move up to compete in the 56kg category. On the day of the pre-competition weigh-in to determine ranking, his result was still lower than that of his opponent from Armenia.
2010 Youth Olympic Games
On the evening of 15 August 2010 (Vietnam time, according to the article published on 16 August), Thạch Kim Tuấn, then 16 years old, competed in the 56kg weightlifting event in Singapore. In the snatch, he succeeded on his first attempt with 110kg, failed on his second with 114kg, and succeeded on his third with 116kg. His direct rival Xie Jlawu (China) reached 117kg on his third snatch attempt, 1kg more than Tuấn.
In the clean and jerk, Tuấn did not succeed with a 139kg lift while Xie Jlawu lifted 137kg. On the decisive lift, he successfully raised 140kg, pushing the Chinese opponent down to second place. With a total of 256kg, 2kg more than his opponent, Thạch Kim Tuấn won the gold medal, the first gold medal for Vietnamese sport at the Youth Olympic Games.
After winning the gold medal, he received an immediate reward of 500 USD from Mr Hoàng Vĩnh Giang, vice chairman of the Vietnam Olympic Committee.
Remarks after the victory
According to Thanh Niên newspaper, after winning and before entering the doping test room, Thạch Kim Tuấn shared: "Right now my body is stiff because I am so happy with this result. I strictly followed the coach's instructions during the competition and was lucky to succeed. The feeling of competing amid the cheers of the crowd, in front of so many opponents, made me a bit overwhelmed, but I was able to overcome this barrier. Let me thank everyone, especially my older sister who raised me since our mother passed away".
Coach Huỳnh Hữu Chí also told Thanh Niên newspaper about the decision to raise the weight to 140kg on the final lift, describing it as a choice between winning gold or bronze, with second place unacceptable.
Key milestones
- 2010: Won the gold medal in the 56kg weightlifting category at the Youth Olympic Games held in Singapore, with a total lift of 256kg.
- This was the first gold medal for Vietnamese sport at the Youth Olympic Games.