Nguyen Binh An has gone from a lottery ticket seller in the Mekong Delta city of Tra Vinh to a Paralympic athlete who will try to realize his medal dream in London today. The 27-year-old will be competing in the men's -52 kg powerlifting event at the ExCeL sporting venue, where he hopes to snatch a medal. Wheelchair-bound An stands in fifth place in the 2012 world rankings with a total result of 160kg, according to the International Paralympic Committee. An said he took up powerlifting as the sport helps strengthen the muscles in his arms, which will help him move more easily in his wheelchair, with which he used to travel around Tra Vinh City to sell lottery tickets. He and other members of the Vietnamese disabled athlete delegation took part in a long training trip at Limerick University in Ireland from July 20 to August 3, and another 20-day practice session at UK-based Bradford University to prepare for the London Paralympics. “Practicing with modern equipment under scientific methods has helped me improve my results a great deal,” An tod Tuoi Tre from London. “I hope to earn a medal to win a cash bonus to assist my family,” he said, adding however that just being at the world’s largest sporting event for disabled athletes is already a success to him. Another Vietnamese athlete, Cao Ngoc Hung, will also compete in the men's discus throw - F57/58 event today. Hung is also expected to secure a medal as he is currently ranked #5 on the world tally. Earlier, swimmer Vo Thanh Tung, who started Team Vietnam’s journey in London, failed to bring home a medal as he finished seventh in the final of the men’s 50m freestyle – S5 event, clocking a 36.05 time. Brazil’s Dias Daniel broke the world record at 32.05 and took the gold medal.