The imprint of the 2024 National Youth Weightlifting Championship

The 2024 National Youth Weightlifting Championship hosted by Lang Son has officially ended, but its echo still lingers among the athletes participating in the tournament as well as the supporters. It can be affirmed that the tournament was successfully organized and left good impressions in the organizers and athletes from localities across the country.

Before the tournament, the province's specialized agencies encountered many difficulties in preparing facilities and competition equipment. However, with the efforts and support from many individuals, organizations, units, and specialized agencies, the necessary conditions for the tournament were created on schedule. Although the tournament officially started on April 17, some units began arriving in Lang Son on April 12 to get familiar with the competition area. Accordingly, thanks to the initiative of the members of the Organizing Committee, on April 12, the warm-up floor and warm-up weights were set up at the Provincial Sports Stadium, ready for practice.

Athlete Bui Minh Dao, from Bac Ninh shared: “Thanks to the considerate preparation of Lang Son province, as soon as I arrived here, I quickly got acquainted with the competition area and maintained daily practice. Our food and accommodation were also provided very well by the locality. Therefore, my physical and mental strength were good and I won 3 gold medals in the 49-kg men's weightlifting category at the ages of 15 - 16.”

Additionally, the coordination between the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Provincial Public Security took great effects in building and implementing plans to ensure security and order at the tournament site; they also coordinated with the Department of Health in ensuring a team of medical staff consisting of 3-4 member on duty throughout the competition, which all contributed to the success of the tournament. During the tournament, there were no incidents related to security and order and the health of athletes from all delegations was guaranteed.

Not only impressive from the organization stage, on the last day of the tournament, the competition area seemed to "heat up" with the impressive performance of the Lang Son delegation's athletes, creating a deep impression on other delegations. In the 59-kg weightlifting category for women aged 15 - 16, athlete Luong Thi Thanh Tuyen - Lang Son delegation chose separately high weights in comparison with other athletes. In 3 rounds of snatch and 3 rounds of thrust, the weights that athlete Luong Thi Thanh Tuyen could lift were all 5 - 30 kg different from other athletes competing in the same category, this created a thrilling and exciting feelings for the fans. Every time Tuyen lifted weights, the fans held their breath and then burst into happiness when Tuyen did it. With a record of 83 kg in snatch, 104 kg in clean and jerk and a total of 187 kg, Tuyen excellently won 3 gold medals. At the end of the tournament, the Lang Son athlete delegation ranked 9^th out of 31 with 3 gold medals and 2 silver medals. This result was beyond the expectation, because Lang Son is one of the delegations with the smallest number of athletes participating in the 2024 National Youth Weightlifting Championship.

Mr. Do Dinh Khang, General Secretary of the Vietnam Weightlifting and Bodybuilding Federation, said: “This is the first time the tournament has been held in Lang Son province. At the initial information about the facilities, we were quite worried. However, coming to Lang Son before the tournament took place, I was very surprised because all the necessary conditions in terms of facilities and competition equipment were guaranteed to meet international standards. Moreover, the reception, meals and accommodations for the referee team doing professional work and the athlete delegations are all very thoughtful. Thanks to that, the tournament took place very successfully.”

The tournament really brought viewers many emotions in every match, new experiences when watching weightlifting. Ms. Luong Thi Du, Bang Huu commune, Chi Lang district said: “This year, the National Youth Weightlifting Championship was held in our province, we gathered to cheer for the athletes, especially those of our province. We have watched and cheered in soccer and volleyball a lot, but this was the first time we watched a weightlifting competition and found it very interesting. We are very happy and proud that Lang Son athletes have achieved high results for their home province.”

The 2024 National Youth Weightlifting Championship took place in Lang Son city from April 17 to April 21. The tournament witnessed the participation of 31 delegations with over 230 athletes. This was the tournament with the largest number of participating athletes ever compared to similar tournaments held in recent years.

Currently, the Lang Son weightlifting team has 6 athletes, the smallest number compared to athletes in other sports teams at the Provincial Sports Training and Competition Center. The tournament held in Lang Son has created conditions for people in the area to have a better understanding of weightlifting, contributing to creating motivation to develop and attract young weightlifting athletes in the province in the future.

Mr. Nguyen Dang An, Director of the Provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Head of the Organizing Committee said: “Up to now, it can be confirmed that the 2024 National Youth Weightlifting Championship is a great success and it is highly evaluated by the professional team as well as the athlete delegations. In the near future, we hope to have the opportunity to host more national championships in Lang Son, thereby strengthening solidarity with other provinces and cities across the country and creating favorable conditions for athletes to compete at home.

The successfully tournament continues to affirm the province's capacity in organizing major sports tournaments and it is an opportunity that encourages Department of Sports and Physical Training to choose Lang Son as a host national sports tournaments in the future. Thereby, it contributes to developing the sports movement in the province, while promoting the beautiful and hospitable land of Lang Son to friends in the country.