Da Nang’s top rowers recently arrived in Hai Phong to participate in the 2024 National Rowing and Canoeing Championship. With thorough preparation and strong determination, the Da Nang rowing team is aiming for 13 medals, striving to rank among the top teams and affirm their standing in the sport.

Pham Thi Hue is Da Nang’s biggest hope in rowing at the 2024 National Championship. Photo: P.N

Rowing is one of the key sports the city has heavily invested in. Each year, athletes are given opportunities to compete in various national tournaments to improve their skills. Among these, the National Championship, organised by the Viet Nam Rowing Federation, is the most significant.

This year, the competition takes place in Hai Phong, with over 450 athletes from 31 teams and localities renowned for their strong rowing and canoeing scenes, including Hai Phong, Vinh Phuc, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Duong, Bac Ninh, Ha Noi, Quang Ninh, and Da Nang.

In rowing, athletes will compete in 20 events for both men and women, in single, double, and four-person boats over a distance of 2,000m. Canoeing includes 40 events for men and women in both canoe and kayak categories, with distances of 200m, 500m, and 1,000m for single, double, and quadruple sculls events.

The championship serves as a platform for the organisers to discover and recruit outstanding athletes for the national rowing team in preparation for international competitions. It also helps assess the performance of athletes and improves the management and organisation of local competitions. The tournament promises to be exciting and highly competitive, with top rowers like Pham Thi Hue, Dinh Thi Hao, and Nguyen Thi Huong participating.

Da Nang’s rowing and canoeing teams are confident about their chances, buoyed by strong results from two national tournaments earlier in 2024.

Specifically, at the National Championship for Outstanding Rowers held in Da Nang, the team won 5 gold, 3 silver, and 1 bronze medals in canoeing, and 3 gold, 1 silver, and 3 bronze medals in rowing.

Later, at the National Youth Championship in Ha Nam, they secured 8 gold, 1 silver, and 8 bronze medals in canoeing, and 1 gold, and 3 silver medals in rowing. Da Nang’s goal for the National Championship is to win 4 gold, 1 silver, and 1 bronze in canoeing, and 3 gold, 2 silver, and 2 bronze in rowing.

To achieve this goal, Da Nang has sent 20 athletes to compete in canoeing and 20 athletes to compete in rowing. In canoeing, the city’s hopes rest on athletes like Hoang Long Nhat, Hien Nam, Y Khoer Nie, Tran Thanh Cuong, and Nguyen Tuong Duy. Hoang Long Nhat recently won a gold medal at the 2024 National Youth Canoeing Championship, while the other athletes have extensive experience competing in both national and international events.

In rowing, Da Nang’s greatest hopes lie with Pham Thi Hue, Nguyen Lam Kieu Diem, and Tran Thi Kiet. Prior to the national championship, Pham Thi Hue won 1 gold medal in the women’s octuple sculls, 1 gold in the women’s double sculls, and 1 bronze in the women’s quadruple sculls events at the 2024 Asian Rowing Championship in Uzbekistan.

Pham Thi Hue shared that these achievements have boosted her confidence to continue striving for prestigious medals for Da Nang. “At the upcoming tournament, I will compete in three events: women’s heavyweight single sculls, women’s heavyweight double sculls with one oar, and women’s heavyweight double sculls with two oars, aiming for three gold medals”. After the Asian Rowing Championship, she returned to training twice a day in Hai Phong and is now fully prepared for the national championship.

Alongside Pham Thi Hue, Nguyen Lam Kieu Diem and Tran Thi Kiet are also determined to achieve top results at the national championship. Both athletes, aged 23, have shown great potential, having won bronze medals at the 19^th Asian Games.

According to Mr. Tong Huu Dung, Head of Rowing at the Da Nang Training and Coaching Centre for Athletes, the national championship is a key event for Da Nang’s rowing team. To prepare for the event, the team has organised long-term training sessions in Hai Phong. Additionally, athletes selected for the national rowing team also train regularly there, allowing them to become familiar with the weather and competition venue. The coaching staff and athletes will do their utmost to achieve the best results.

Reporting by PHI NONG - Translating by TRUC VY