Snatch is Lai Gia Thanh's strong point. He competed confidently and bravely to surpass two strong opponents from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and Thailand.
Thanh topped the men's 55kg in the snatch event with a lift of 120kg, followed by ChomChuen Nathawat of Thailand with 119kg, and Pang Un Chol of the DPRK with 118kg.
In the clean & jerk category, Thanh took the bronze medal with a lift of 148kg.
The combined lift of 268kg helped Thanh receive a bronze overall.
Another female weightlifter Khong My Phuong bagged one silver in the snatch event, one bronze in the clean & jerk, and a bronze overall.
On April 2, two Vietnamese Trinh Van Vinh and Nguyen Tran Anh Tuan will compete in the men's 61kg. The duo is expected to bring home an Olympic slot from this tournament, the final Paris Games' qualification.
