Phan Thi Ha Thanh, Vietnam’s top female gymnast, won a gold medal for horse jumping on November 13 at the Asian Championships in Fujian in China.
This is the first Asian gold medal for a Vietnamese gymnast. Earlier, Ha Thanh made history by winning a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics.
In the horse jumping event, Ha Thanh successfully performed a highly difficult exercise. With a score of 14,700, Ha Thanh overcame two strong opponents from North Korea with a huge gap to win the gold medal.
After winning a bronze medal last year, Ha Thanh performed very well at the ongoing Asian Gymnastics Championships 2012 in Fujian in China.
On November 13, Ha Thanh and her young teammate Do Thi Thanh Huyen began competing in the women’s single event.
The success of Ha Thanh was a surprise because her rivals were the best gymnasts from China, Japan, South Korea and North Korea. In particular, host China was a very strong team that included Olympic and world champions.
In the men's team, Vietnam ranked fifth in overall tally.
