On September 4, Le Van Cong, a celebrated Paralympic powerlifter, secured a bronze medal at the Paralympic Paris 2024 by successfully lifting 171 kg in his first attempt. Unfortunately, he did not succeed in his subsequent two attempts, which prevented him from challenging for a higher podium finish.
Le Van Cong is widely regarded as one of Vietnam’s most outstanding athletes in para-sports history. He made history by winning the first-ever gold medal for Vietnam at the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2016. In the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, held in 2021, Le Van Cong claimed the silver medal in the 49 kg weight category, narrowly missing out on gold to Jordanian lifter Omar Qarada due to a lower bodyweight tiebreaker.
At the Paris 2024 Paralympics, Le Van Cong once again found himself up against Omar Qarada in the 49 kg weight class. This category also featured other formidable competitors such as Kayapinar from Turkey, Tunkel from Hungary, Zheng Yu from China, Noorsaeed from Saudi Arabia, Parmjeet from India, Adelaide from France, and Beyour from Algeria.
Le Van Cong holds the world record in the 49 kg category with a lift of 183.5 kg, a record he set at the World Para Powerlifting Championships. He also holds the Paralympic record with a lift of 183 kg. For the Paris Games, Cong registered an opening lift of 171 kg, while his main rivals, Omar Qarada and Kayapinar, entered with lifts of 175 kg and 172 kg, respectively.
Demonstrating his determination, Le Van Cong successfully completed his initial lift of 171 kg, signaling a strong start. Kayapinar also showed his prowess with a successful 172 kg lift, while defending champion Omar Qarada lifted 175 kg with ease. This initial round of lifting quickly established the main contenders for the medals: Omar Qarada, Kayapinar, and Le Van Cong, whose performances outpaced the other competitors.
In an attempt to compete for a higher medal, Le Van Cong opted to increase his lift to 176 kg in the second round, matching Kayapinar’s declared weight, while Omar Qarada chose to go for 177 kg. Kayapinar succeeded at 176 kg, putting pressure on Cong. Despite giving his all, Cong failed to lift 176 kg. Meanwhile, Qarada smoothly lifted 177 kg to maintain his lead.
With hopes of securing a silver medal, Le Van Cong raised his final lift to 180 kg, matching Kayapinar’s target. However, after Kayapinar successfully lifted 180 kg, Cong decided to further increase his lift to 181 kg to clinch silver. Unfortunately, his attempt was unsuccessful due to persistent pain in his left shoulder. To secure the gold medal, Omar Qarada lowered his weight to 181 kg, lifted successfully, and defended his Paralympic title. Despite a final attempt at 185 kg to break Le Van Cong’s world record, Qarada did not succeed, leaving Cong’s world and Paralympic records intact.
With his performance, Le Van Cong secured the bronze medal in the 49 kg weight class at the Paralympic Paris 2024, completing a set of gold, silver, and bronze medals from three consecutive Paralympic Games. For his achievement, he will receive a state award of 100 million VND, along with an additional 100 million VND from his managing unit, Ho Chi Minh City, as previously announced before the Games.
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