Weightlifter Nguyen Binh An breaks Asian Para Games record

Nguyen Binh An is the great medal hope of the Vietnamese disabled sports delegation on the first official competition day of the 4th Asian Para Games, taking place in Hangzhou (China). He is the reigning champion of the men's 54kg weight class.

However, Nguyen Binh An also faces a big challenge from reigning Paralympic champion David Degtyarev of Kazakhstan and 2021 world runner-up Yang Jinglang of host China.

In his first attempt, David Degtyarev proved his strength by successfully lifting 179kg. Yang Jinglang achieved 178kg, while Nguyen Binh An's recognized achievement was 174kg. After his second attempt, David Degtyarev still led the leaderboard with 183kg, followed by Yang Jinglang (182kg) and Nguyen Binh An (180kg).

In his final lift, Nguyen Binh An successfully lifted the barbell to 184kg, breaking the Games record. But then, David Degtyarev also successfully broke the Asian record with a lift of 186kg and won the gold medal. The silver medal went to Chinese athlete Yang Jinglang with a final lift of 185kg.

Nguyen Binh An shared: "This is my best achievement in competition so far. I have tried very hard in training, but I am still quite surprised to have surpassed the congress record."

This is the second bronze medal of the Vietnamese disabled sports delegation on the first official competition day of the 4th Asian Para Games. Previously, weightlifter Le Van Cong won a bronze medal in the men's 49kg category.