Even though Vietnam’s delegation finished the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris without any medals, our Paralympics team managed to clinch one bronze from powerlifting.

According to the Paralympic committee, Saigon-based powerlifter Lê Văn Công was awarded the bronze medal in the men’s 49kg category on the first day of the lifting event on September 4, losing out to competitors from Jordan and Turkiye.

Công successfully lifted 171kg in his first round, though he faltered in the second (176kg) and final rounds (181kg). Due to a rushed timeline before the Paralympics, Công couldn’t heal properly from a previous injury while he had to concurrently compete for qualifying rounds.

“After the first life, my shoulder was already in a lot of pain. Even then, I pushed on in hope that I could increase my performance,” he told Tuổi Trẻ in Vietnamese. “During the 176kg lift, a searing pain almost made me drop my barbell. When everything was done, my right arm was completely spent, I couldn’t even hold my chopsticks. In any case, the bronze medal was still a great consolation prize.”

Catch a snippet of Lê Văn Công's medal-winning lift at 0:10.

Born in 1984, Lê Văn Công is the reigning world champion and world record holder for this event at 183.5kg, having earned a gold at Rio 2016 and a silver at Tokyo 2021.

Công’s bronze in para powerlifting was Vietnam’s first and only medal for this year’s Paralympics, meeting the target of 1 to 2 medals. A total of seven athletes from Vietnam were participating this time in powerlifting, running, and swimming.

For his bronze medal, Lê Văn Công will receive a total of VND235 million in recognition of his contribution to national sports, including VND100 million from the HCMC People’s Committee, VND85 million from the government, and VND50 million from the Vietnam Paralympic Association.

[Photo via Vietnamnet]