Shooting

Trịnh Thu Vinh secures an Olympic place after finishing fifth at the ISSF World Championship on August 17 in Azerbaijan. — Photos courtesy of Hoàng Xuân Vinh

HÀ NỘI — Trịnh Thu Vinh has earned Việt Nam's second Paris Olympics' place after her outstanding performance at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Championship in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Vinh was one of two Vietnamese athletes in the women's 10m air pistol event which featured 130 competitors.

In qualification, Vinh took 579 points and advanced to the top-eight final where she shot 175.6 points for the fifth place.

Jiang Ranxin of China came first with 239.8 points, followed by Anna Korakaki of Greece (238.3 points), Xue Li of China (218.9 points) and Sara Rahel Fabian of Hungary (198.9 points).

Trịnh Thu VInh competes in the women's 10m air pistol. She is the second Vietnamese to secure a place at the Olympics.

Teammate Nguyễn Thu Trang finished in 47th place.

The world championship is a qualifier for the Olympics. Top-four athletes in the women's air pistol event will qualify for the Paris event.

Korakaki has already earned her berth from the 2022 world championship and Li is not qualified because her Jiang won a gold and took the only ticket for each National Olympic Committee as per regulations. As result, Fabian, Vinh and sixth-placed Kim Bomi of South Korea will feature in Paris.

“Her results mean we will have one shooter at the Parris Olympics 2024," coach Hoàng Xuân Vinh said from Baku.

Official from the Sports Authority of Việt Nam's Shooting Department, Vũ Anh Đào said: “It is for sure we will take the slot but we are still waiting for an official statement from the ISSF."

Vinh is one of many talented athletes of Việt Nam in the shooting team. Aged 23, she has not competed in many major tournaments. Her most recent high results were one silver and one bronze at the 31st SEA Games in Hà Nội in 2022.

Former national head coach Nguyễn Thị Nhung scouted and trained Vinh since she was a teenager.

"I saw her potential and picked her to the national team. She showed her remarkable progress and now I am happy hearing her news," said Nhung.

It has been almost eight years since the 2016 Olympics when Việt Nam had a marksman at the Olympics.

After Hoàng Xuân Vinh's historic gold and silver at the Rio Games, Việt Nam shooting failed to win a place in the Tokyo Games in 2021. Xuân Vinh could only compete in the quadrennial festival with a wild card from the organising board.

Trịnh Thu Vinh with South Korean expert Park Chungung after the women's 10m air pistol final.

Thu Vinh and her coaches will have one year to prepare for the competition.

The world championship runs from August 16 to September 1. Việt Nam sent 12 best athletes to join more than 1,200 competitors from 101 countries and territories.

The first Olympic place for Việt Nam went to cyclist Nguyễn Thị Thật who won gold at the Asian Cycling Championship in June in Thailand. — VNS