Two more Vietnamese athletes earn Olympic slots

Judo fighter Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy and swimmer Nguyen Thi Anh Vien are Vietnam’s latest Olympians.

Thuy got her ticket to the Olympics after passing the qualifiers, while Vien managed to meet all qualifying standards for the Games.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Thuy has struggled to compete in overseas tournaments to accumulate enough points for Olympic qualification. When the results were announced in June, Thuy exited the top 10 judo athlete ranks in the 52 kilogram or less category, peaking at 11th. However, with the withdrawal of North Korea from the Olympics, their judo athlete Yu Sun Jon also exited the top 10 and was replaced by Thuy, which proved enough to gain her a ticket.

This is Vien’s third time at an Olympic event, after Olympics London 2012 and Olympics Rio 2016. She got her ticket this time by reaching the Olympic Selection time in the 200 meter and 800 meter freestyle category.

It’s expected Vietnam would see another Olympic-qualified athlete in women’s boxing.

A total 20 Vietnamese athletes have claimed their tickets to Tokyo this July.

All athletes to have qualified for the Olympics were vaccinated for Covid-19 and are ready to go.

According to plan, Vietnamese athletes will go to Tokyo on the event on July 18. Shooting, weightlifting and gymnastics are expected to bring Vietnam medals.

By Hoang Nguyen – VnExpress.net – July 3, 2021