Vietnam wants 2 medals at 2016 Summer Olympics

Runner Quach Thi Lan is expected to secure a ticket to the 2016 Olympic. Photo: Ngo Nguyen

Vietnam is targeting two medals at the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics and is hoping heavy training regimes will help its qualified athletes perform well at the biggest international sporting event.

The target was set at a meeting of the General Department of Sports on Wednesday to review the 2011-2015 period and announce new goals for upcoming major events.

Tuoi Tre quoted many coaches and experts as saying that the target is tough for Vietnam, even after local athletes gained good results at the 28th Southeast Asian Games in Singapore in June.

Vietnam has not improved at the Asian Games (Asiad). After gaining four gold medals at the 2002 Asiad and three more golds in 2006, its team only bagged one gold each in 2010 and 2014.

So far, Vietnam’s best results at the Olympics have been a silver medal in taekwondo by Tran Hieu Ngan in 2000, and another silver by weightlifter Hoang Anh Tuan in 2008.

Vietnam has four athletes already qualified for the 2016 games, including Nguyen Thi Huyen in athletics, Nguyen Thi Anh Vien in swimming, and Hoang Xuan Vinh and Doan Quoc Cuong in shooting.

Nguyen Kim Lan, deputy director of the Elite Sports Department, said other athletes will have to train harder and win international titles to secure tickets to the Olympics.

Some hopefuls include gymnasts Phan Thi Ha Thanh and Dinh Phuong Thanh.

“In October, the gymnastics team will compete at the 2015 World Gymnastics Championship in the UK, hoping to win a few more tickets to the 2016 Olympics,” she said.

Earlier on July 11, sprinter Quach Thi Lan flew to the US for her training. Her brother, sprinter Quach Cong Lich, will also have a training session in the US from August 1.

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