Gymnast Phan Thi Ha Thanh has been named the athlete of the year thanks to her achievements in the World Championships in Tokyo in October and the Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia in November.
She earned a total of 1,425 points from voting by sports reporters in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Danang Thursday.
The Hai Phong City native finished third in the women’s vault at the world championships in Tokyo, thus earning a ticket to the 2012 London Olympics. She then achieved three gold medals at the Southeast Asian Games.
Danang’s swimmer Hoang Quy Phuoc came second in the voting with 1,386 points.
International Grandmaster Le Quang Liem of Ho Chi Minh City was third with 945 points.
Runner Truong Thanh Hang came fourth with 857 points. Woman gymnast Do Thi Ngan Thuong took 420 points to rank fifth.
From sixth to tenth were marksman Ha Minh Thanh (406 points), woman high jumper Duong Thi Viet Anh (384 points), weightlifter Tran Le Quoc Toan (344 points) taekwondo woman Chu Hoang Dieu Linh (257 points) and taekwondo man Le Huynh Chau (235 points).
The sports reporters also voted for the best athletes with disabilities.
HCM City swimmer Vo Thanh Tung was named the first like last year. Vo Huynh Anh Khoa, another HCM City swimmer, came second. From third to fifth were female powerlifter Chau Hoang Tuyet Loan from Khanh Hoa Province, female athlete Nguyen Thi Hai from HCMC, and Hanoi athlete Le Duc Hung.
