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Vietnam Swim Coach Huang Guohui Found Dead in Quarantine upon Return from Olympics
Huang Guohui, the coach of Vietnam’s swim team at the Tokyo Olympics, was found dead during a quarantine upon his return to Vietnam. He was 57 years old.
Huang, who is from China and also known by the Vietnamese name of Hoang Quoc Huy, died in a hotel in Hanoi during a 14-day isolation after returning from Tokyo. The news was first reported by Vietnamese Express.
The cause of death has not been determined, though a Vietnamese spokesman said in a media report that Huang had been vaccinated for COVID-19. Vietnamese Express is reporting that it is being investigated as a possible suicide.
“Coach Huang passed away on August 11,” Vietnam Chef de Mission Tran Duc Phan said in a statement. “We are in isolation, so we don’t know the situation yet and we are waiting for the result of the police investigation.”
Huang has been working with Vietnamese swimmers since 2003. He’s led them through several successful campaigns at the Asian Games and the Southeast Asian Games, which are the more important barometers of the program’s growth. Vietnam is due to host the 2021 SEA Games in Hanoi starting in late November.
Huang’s pupils included Nguyen Huy Hoang and Nguyen Thi Ahn Vien. Hoang won the men’s 800 freestyle at the Youth Olympic Games in 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He had won five medals over the last two installments at the SEA Games. Vien also authored standout performances going back to the 2015 SEA Games.
Hoang finished 20th in the men’s 800 free and 12th in the 1,500 free. Vien finished 26th in the women’s 200 free and 30th in the 800 free (last among the swimmers who participated in the race).
