Vietnam’s weightlifter Pham Thi Hong Thanh (Photo: VNA)

Thanh’s total lifting was far higher than the old SEA Games record of 214 kg.

Meanwhile, both her rivals from Indonesia and the Philippines had to stop at 120kg.

Thanh said that this was not her best performance as she suffered injury during practice. She said she will continue to work hard towards higher targets such as competitions at the Olympics.

With Thanh’s contribution, Vietnamese weightlifting has had three gold medals, exceeding the team’s goal of two medals set earlier.

The 31st SEA Games, themed “For a Stronger South East Asia”, features 40 sports with 523 events. The biennial event was initially slated for late 2021 but delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is scheduled to last until May 23.