Viet Nam pockets 14 tickets to 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil
Fourteen Vietnamese athletes in seven sports have so far won a ticket to the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.
Phan Thi Ha Thanh, a 24-year-old gymnast, on Monday earned a ticket to the Olympic Games, raising the total to 14 berths for Viet Nam.
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| This photo shows swim star Nguyen Thi Anh Vien, one of Viet Nam’s 14 athletes who have secured an Olympic berth so far. (Photo: Tuoi Tre) |
The Vietnamese athlete scored 52,700 points, landing 25th in the preliminary competition in Brazil, according to news website VnExpress.
One day prior to Thanh’s achievement, her fellow gymnast Pham Phuoc Hung had secured a place in the Games.
Three fencers, Nguyen Thi Nhu Hoa, Vu Thanh An, and Nguyen Thi Le Dung, have also booked two tickets to the Olympic Games, thanks to their excellent performances in the qualifying round in China on April 11 and 12, the online newspaper reported.
Nguyen Thi Anh Vien, a 20-year-old swim star who has been praised for her outstanding accomplishments at the 28th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Singapore last year, is also one of Viet Nam’s brightest hopes for an Olympic medal.
She is considered Southeast Asia’s best swimmer, winning eight gold medals and breaking eight records at the SEA Games.
The young star claimed an Olympic spot in early March after winning a silver medal in a category at the Arena Pro Swim Series, organized in Florida, the United States.
The other Vietnamese athletes who have booked a place at the Games include shooters Hoang Xuan Vinh and Tran Quoc Cuong; female wrestlers Nguyen Thi Lua and Vu Thi Hang; and race walker Nguyen Thi Thanh Phuc from Da Nang.
Viet Nam is entitled to send three weightlifters to the Olympics, but has yet to decide who will be chosen.
The Southeast Asian country has never won an Olympic medal since 2008, when weightlifter Hoang Anh Tuan snatched a silver in Beijing.
The 2016 Olympic Games will take place from August 5 to 21 in Rio de Janeiro, with the participation of about 10,500 athletes from 206 countries across the world.
(Source: Tuoi Tre News)