Việt Nam Olympians arrive in France for competitions

Olympics

Shooter Trịnh Thu Vinh in action during training in Hungary last week. She is one of Việt Nam’s medal hopes at the Paris Olympics/ Photo sggp.org.vn

HÀ NỘI — The first Vietnamese athletes have landed in Paris on their quest for their best possible results at the Summer Olympics Games.

Those touching down in France are part of the rowing, cycling, archery, boxing, judo and shooting teams.

Among them, archer Đỗ Thị Ánh Nguyệt and Lê Quốc Phong will be the first to begin the tournament on July 25, one day before the opening ceremony.

They will participate in the qualification round of the women’s and men’s individual recurve events. Their result will decide their classification in the finals.

The duo will compete together for the mixed pair event on August 2.

It will be Nguyệt’s second Olympics while Phong takes part in this arena for the first time. With Nguyệt’s Asian bronze and Phong’s two-time World Cup fourth finisher, archery is one of the sports considered Việt Nam’s medal possibilities.

“I am in a good mood and really confident about the tournament. All I need is to focus on the best I can be,” said Nguyệt.

Judoka Hoàng Thị Tình and coaches Nguyễn Duy Khanh are confident ahead of their event at the Champ de Mars Arena.

Tình said she was in good condition regarding physique and mind and ready for fighting.

“Everyone who qualified for the Olympics is strong. Opportunity is equal for all. I will give the best in Paris so that I can reach my career-best result,” she said.

Tình who takes part in the women’s 48kg class will take her first match in the preliminary round on July 27.

Rower Phạm Thị Huệ and Australian expert Joseph Donelly were also on the same flight with the judo team to France. They planned to hire a boat for training immediately after landing to become familiar with the destination.

It will be Huệ’s first time at the Olympics and the 36-year-old is excited and can’t wait to row at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium.

“I am happy and proud to be a Vietnamese representative at the Olympics and I will make it a milestone,” said Huệ who will compete in the women’s single heavy-weight category on July 27.

While these teams flew to France from Việt Nam, the shooters joined them after their two-week training course in Hungaria.

Trịnh Thu Vinh and Nguyễn Thị Mộng Tuyền are debutants in the pistol and rifle events, respectively, and both recorded positive results in their training, according to coaches’ reports.

Among them, Asian champion Vinh is expected to be in the top three. She will first take part in the 10m air pistol qualification, her strong point, on July 27 at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre. The finals for the top eight athletes are on the next day.

Her second event of 25m pistol is on August 2.

Tuyền will compete in the women’s 10m air rifle on July 28

The boxing team is already in France for training. They checked in at the Olympic Athletes Village on Saturday.

Võ Thị Kim Ánh will compete in the women’s 54kg on July 27. Hours later Hà Thị Linh will punch in the women’s 60kg. In case of winning, their next bouts will be on July 29 and 30 at the North Paris Arena.

Swimmer Võ Thị Mỹ Tiên will take part in the women’s 200m freestyle qualifier on July 28 while teammate Nguyễn Huy Hoàng will swim in the men’s 800m freestyle a day later.

Teenage runner Trần Thị Nhi Yến will show her ability in the women’s 100m heat at the Stade de France on July 29.

Badminton players Nguyễn Thùy Linh and Lê Đức Phát will arrive in Paris on July 22. They are expected to qualify for the knock-out stage after comfortable draws.

Linh will play her first match in the women’s singles while Phát will compete in the men’s singles on July 27.

Nguyễn Thị Thật will compete in the women’s road race cycling. She is one of two Vietnamese flag bearers at the Olympics. Photo of Nguyễn Thị Thật

Former Asian cycling champion Nguyễn Thị Thật just finished an event in Italy and came to France on July 19. She will compete in the women’s road race on August 4.

Weightlifter Trịnh Văn Vinh will make his dream come true in the men’s 61kg at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles on August 7. The former world champion is one of Việt Nam’s medal hopes although he has not totally recovered from a knee injury.

The last athlete to compete is canoeist Nguyễn Thị Hương who will take part in the women’s 200m individual qualification on August 8.

It is said to be a tough competition for the 23-year-old but coaches said the multi-time SEA Games champion could be a surprise star. VNS