>>> Swimmer Anh Vien sets new Asian record
Vien dominated her preliminary-round pool with a time of 2:04.19, which, however, was only the fifth best achievement among the eight qualifiers for the finals.
After the first 150 metres of the final race, she came in fourth place with 1:29.05, behind third-place A. Tomomi from Japan with 1:28.22. Yet the Vietnamese swimmer produced a brilliant sprint in the last lap to be crowned the third fastest, clocking a time of 1:59.31.
Chinese Shen Duo took home the gold medal with 1:56.71, followed by compatriot Ai Yanhan with 1:57.35.
Earlier, on November 17, Vien struck gold in the 400m individual medley category with 4:37.71, surpassing the old record of 4:41.29 set by China’s Liu Jing in Dubai in the UAE in 2002.
On the morning of November 18, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Ngoc Thien sent a congratulatory letter to Anh Vien for her supreme finish in the 400m individual medley in Japan.
