Weightlifter Kim Van awarded two Asian gold medals
(VOV) -Chief coach Do Dinh Khang has confirmed female weightlifter Nguyen Thi Kim Van was retrospectively awarded two gold and one bronze 2013 Asian Championship medals following a spate of positive drug tests from regional competitors.
Initial results indicated Vietnamese male 58kg weightlifter Thach Kim Tuan had earned three silver medals with a snatch lift of 125kg, a clean and jerk lift of 156kg, and a total lift of 281kg.
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| Weightlifter Nguyen Thi Kim Van |
But organisers uncovered many of the championships’ leading athletes were using banned performance-enhancing drugs.
Do Dinh Khanh said almost 30 regional weightlifters tested positive and were subsequently banned from competition for two years.
Nguyen Thi Kim Van initially finished behind Kazakhstani gold medallist Alexandra Aborneva in the women’s 75kg snatch and clean and jerk. Aborneva’s positive drug test meant Kim Van’s 242kg lift total was enough to win gold.
The 25-year-old Kim Van is the first Vietnamese weightlifter to win an Asian Championship title.