Shooting

Phí Thanh Thảo is one of the Vietnamese young talented athletes. She will be Việt Nam's representative at the world championship next week and Asian Games next month. Photo laodong,vn

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam will send a team of 10 shooters to compete at the world championship, which is considered the team's final test for ahead of the 19th Asian Games next month.

The team just completed a short training course in South Korea and will fly to Baku, Azerbaijan, for the world event.

Almost 1,200 athletes from 101 countries and territories will take part in competitions in all categories for rifle, pistol and trap for men and women from August 17-September 1.

Last year, Việt Nam had five representatives but none of them were successful.

After Olympic champion Hoàng Xuân Vinh and veteran Trần Quốc Cường retired, Vietnamese shooting team have not had any athlete to reach world levels.

However, the national young talents are expected to shine at the China Asian Games.

"Asian Games is our most important task of the year. The Games will gather leading continental shooters from India, South Korea, China and Japan who are also world famous names," said Vinh who is now the national team coach.

"Asian countries have strongly invested in shooting while Việt Nam still faces many difficulties. However, my team are full of youth power and ambition. We will do our best for a positive result," he said.

Vinh said the team was in the process of rejuvenation. Young players such as Lại Công Minh, Phạm Quang Huy, Nguyễn Thùy Trang, Phí Thanh Thảo and Lê Thị Mộng Tuyền who were born in 2004 and 2005 showed their potential but still needed couple of years to fully develop.

The shooting will begin on September 22 and end on October 1 and Vietnamese shooters will take part in 12 out of 15 events. VNS