Archery

Đỗ Thị Ánh Nguyệt is Việt Nam's archery hope to qualify for the Paris Olympics. Photo danviet.vn

HÀ NỘI — Archery is one of Việt Nam's strong sports with international achievements. However, as the Paris Olympics is approaching, Vietnamese archers are still vying for an official spot. Top athlete Đỗ Thị Ánh Nguyệt is hoping to make her second appearance at the world's largest sporting festival this summer.

Nguyệt was one of two Vietnamese archers qualified for the Olympics for the first time in history in 2020.

Four years later, Nguyệt, 23, is still in good form but struggling to repeat her achievement.

In 2023, the national archery team competed in different level competitions from Asian to the world's. But their best result was Nguyệt's quarter-final place at the Asian championships in November.

“My teammates and I always set the highest target in all events, but you know international tournaments are really competitive," Nguyệt said.

"Personally, I am trying my best to earn my spot at the upcoming Olympics."

Phan Trọng Quân, Sports Authority of Việt Nam official, said: “Six key athletes have received strong support to make our target.

"Nguyệt has the most potential as her quality and results are close to international archers, but she still needs a little luck for success," he said.

Six Vietnamese archers receive strong support to earn at least one spot among the 128 available at the upcoming Olympics. Photo toquoc.vn

The team will take part in World Cup stages in the next three months.

The first one is scheduled for April 23 to 28 in Shanghai, China. The second stage is held on May 21-26 in Yecheon, South Korea. The third stage is from June 18-23 in Antalya, Turkey. All stages will deliver points for athletes' world ranking and direct Olympic slots for the best ones. The last stage will also serve as the final qualifier for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, with both team and individual quotas available.

"My athletes receive the best support in terms of equipment and facility as well as their nutrition for their training," coach Ngô Hải Nam said.

"I have seen their remarkable performance and I believe that they would make high results at the upcoming Olympic qualifications."

Currently the national team are under South Korean coach Park Chae Soon who helped his national team win 11 golds in different Olympics.

The Việt Nam Archery Federation expects that their strong investment in signing a deal with Park would help Vietnamese athletes reach new heights, especially in securing Olympic spots.

Visiting the team early this month, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoàng Đạo Cương said: "Archery is an important sport of Việt Nam. The achievements that the archers have made are remarkable.

"With our strong history and support along with talented players, the archery team need to work harder and be more determined, learning as much as possible from the South Korean expert to have impressive wins internationally." VNS