Vietnam’s Sport Center 1 claim historic gold at 2023 Asian Women’s Club Volleyball Championship

Sport Center 1 made history this week by become Vietnam’s first ever club to win the Asian Women’s Club Volleyball Championship following their epic 3-2 comeback win on home soil against Thailand’s Diamond Food Fine Chef-Air Force in the highly-anticipated final showdown at the packed 3,000-seater Vinh Phuc Gymnasium.

Thanh Thúy 30 points lead Sport Center 1 to comeback upset win over Diamond Food, unprecedented title in 2023 Asian Women's Club Championship
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The dramatic 21-25, 17-25, 25-20, 25-22, 15-10 victory following a remarkable unbeaten record in the continent’s top club championship ended the country’s 22-year gold medal drought since Vietnam made its debut in the 2001 championship as the host nation. Vietnam has never made the podium, with the country’s best result in the annual competition being forth place in 2011 with Thong Tin LienVietPostBank.

Star spiker Tran Thi Thanh Thuy scored a match high of 30 points, including 28 attacks for Sport Center 1, while Tran Tu Linh and young star Vi Thi Nhu Quynh kept good company to add 20 and 17 points respectively. Wipawee Srithong scored 20 points on Diamond Food’s losing effort.

Sport Center 1, fielding all Vietnam national team players in their final preparation for next week’s 32nd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Cambodia, were strong offensively with the likes of the powerful and 193cm-tall Tran Thi Thanh Thuy, who currently plays with PFB Blue Cats in Japan’s V.League Division 1. Also strengthening the team were Tran Tu Linh and Vi Thi Nhu Quynh.

Former consecutive two-time Thailand League champions Diamond Food were led by the highly-skilled setter and captain Nootsara Tomkom and strengthened by Thai national players Wipawee Srithong, Sasipaporn Janthawisut, Kaewkalaya Kamulthala and Thichakorn Boonlert, who competed in last year’s Volleyball Nations League campaign, while 193cm-tall Serbian Narasa Cikiriz also proved a major force to be reckoned with.

China’s Liaoning Donghua VC took the bronze medals of the 2023 Asian Women’s Club Volleyball Championship by beating King Whale Taipei in a hard-fought four-set thriller in the third-place playoff match.