Woman earns Olympics ticket

Boost for sport: Nguyen Thi Thuy has been chosen for an Olympic slot in the women's 53kg category after finishing fifth at the 2012 Asian Weightlifting Championships in South Korea, with a total of 190kg. — VNA/VNS Photo

HA NOI — Viet Nam has earned one more place in the women's weightlifting event at the London Olympics next month, the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) has announced.

The country was ranked seventh in the women's division at a recent Asian Olympics qualifying round. However, following an official doping test, some athletes were found to have used illegal substances and subsequently excluded from participating in London, despite the team being moved up one position ahead of the summer event.

Nguyen Thi Thuy was chosen for an Olympic slot in the women's 53kg category after finishing fifth at the 2012 Asian Weightlifting Championships in South Korea in April, with a total lift of 190kg.

"We are very surprised at the IWF's announcement, having chosen Thuy for this berth. The 22-year-old girl is a young talent. We sent her, alongside Tran Le Quoc Toan and other outstanding weightlifters, to Bulgaria for a training course," said Do Dinh Khang, head of the weightlifting section of the National Sports Administration.

Viet Nam will have two official weightlifting slots in London. The first ticket belongs to 23-year-old Toan, who took a silver in the men's 56kg category in South Korea with a total lift of 279kg.

This is the second time the country will have two weightlifters at an Olympic event. Hoang Anh Tuan (men's 56kg) and Nguyen Thi Thiet (women's 63kg) competed at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, from which Tuan brought home a silver medal.

So far, Viet Nam has 14 official tickets to the world's biggest sporting event in gymnastics, taekwondo, badminton, shooting, judo, wrestling, fencing, weightlifting and rowing. — VNS