Swimming

Trần Hưng Nguyên in action in the 32nd SEA Games last May. He is expected to pass A standard and qualify for Olympics in the men's 400m IM. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Nguyễn Huy Hoàng and Trần Hưng Nguyên will seek their Olympic tickets at the Thailand Age Group Swimming Championships 2024 from April 6-11.

The event, held at the Assumption University Suvarnabhumi Campus, is a World Aquatics's (FINA) competition. Athletes who surpass A standards in the categories here will qualify for the Paris Games this summer.

Hoàng will take part in the men's 1,500m freestyle event with his best time of 15min 4.06sec. Time to beat is 15:00.99.

Nguyên will swim in the 400m individual medley with a registered time of 4:18.10. He needs to swim in 4:12.50 to qualify.

The duo won five golds for Việt Nam at the 32nd SEA Games last May and just won medals from the Asian Age Group Swimming Championship in early March in the Philippines.

“The opportunity to qualify for the Olympics is equally available to all athletes. The difficulty is how our swimmers can raise their abilities to achieve A standard," said Lê Thanh Huyền, official of the Sports Authority of Việt Nam. "We expect Hoàng and Nguyên will make it."

Việt Nam currently has one Olympic spot in swimming by Hoàng in the men's 800m freestyle, earned at the 19th Asian Games in 2022.

At the previous 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Việt Nam had two representatives Hoàng in 800m freestyle and 1500m, and Nguyễn Thị Ánh Viên in women's 200m and 800m freestyle. VNS